


Power

by JWade



Series: Asgard [2]
Category: Norse Religion & Lore, Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-21 22:09:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 37,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9568922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JWade/pseuds/JWade
Summary: After their ascension to gods, Sam and Dean try to learn how to use their powers with the help of Loki/Gabriel and Thor before taking their teachings back out into the world and trying to fit in as hunters once again.





	1. Chapter 1

Thor beat the rest of the group down to the gardens which wasn’t surprising since both Sam and Dean, or Hjert and Styrk as they were known here, needed help getting out of their armor as they weren’t as familiar with it as the others. Loki stripped out of his with practiced ease before helping his beloved. It was sometimes frustrating that their powers didn’t work on the armor, but if they did, they wouldn’t be much use in battle when gods or angels were on the other side. Cas decided not to go down with them. He wasn’t much in the mood for games. All this had side-tracked him, but he was still trying to come to terms with the betrayal of heaven and could use some time alone to come to terms with things now that Dean didn’t need him at the moment. 

No sooner than the three of them barreled into the clearing, Loki was flying through the air. He twisted his body to land in a crouch, grin wide on his face, as he threw his arms out and a large ox was barreling towards a laughing Thor. Thor jumped and spun, landing expertly on the back of the ox, but before he could really get comfortable, the ox turned into a snake that had him wrapped in its coils. Thor raised a hand and lightning flew down from the sky frying the snake as Loki called out amusedly, “It’s not polite to start before everyone knows the rules.”

Thor laughed loudly. “Since when do you care about polite little brother?” he asked but refrained from continuing and disappeared in a flash of lightning at the same time Loki blinked out of existence and they both reappeared next to the new gods. 

Loki gave Thor a friendly shove before addressing Sam and Dean. “So the easiest way to figure out what your new powers are and how they work is by simulating battle. You’ll instinctively react to threats with your powers once your subconscious comes to terms with having them. Once we’ve figured out ‘what’ you can do, we can put it into practice in the fairgrounds.”

“The fairgrounds?” Sam asked curiously. He had first been afraid when Loki went flying as they came out, but upon noticing his lover’s grin he relaxed and enjoyed the show. He was still glad they were actually getting some explanations though. 

“Think of it like obstacle courses designed to exercise your powers. You will learn how to use them strategically in different situations rather than having them pulled from you by circumstances. The courses change constantly so you can’t just memorize them and plan ahead. The ultimate goal will be speed but it will take a while before things become second nature,” Loki explained. 

“Will there be others there?” Dean asked nervously. He didn’t really like the idea of an audience while he would surely embarrass himself in comparison to others. 

“We are the princes. If we ask them to clear the area for a while they will be happy to do so,” Thor said as though it should be obvious. 

Loki rolled his eyes. He knew Sam and Dean wouldn’t take too kindly to the pompous attitude just as much as he knew that Thor didn’t mean it like it sounded. “What jerk-off here means is that they will understand that you are just learning to use your powers and wouldn’t want to be the center of attention as you do so.”

“That’s what I said,” Thor pointed out with a half-hearted glare at his brother.

“No. What you said was, ‘we’re more important than them so they’ll do as they’re told’. Not the same thing brother dear,” Loki teased. 

“You knew what I meant,” Thor grumbled. 

“Yes, but Sa-Hjert and Styrk don’t know you so well just yet and you tend to come off as rather pompous for those who don’t know better,” Loki said with a smirk. 

“Hmph,” Thor said raising his nose in the air and looking away disgruntled. Sam and Dean couldn’t hold in their laughter anymore at that.

“Anyway,” Loki said rolling his eyes at Thor’s antics, “Let’s get started I’ll work with Sa-Hjert and Thor…”

He was interrupted when Thor butted in. “Au contraire little brother. We aren’t trying to induce flowery bouquets and love sonnets. I will work with Hjert. You can put Styrk through his paces.”

“Thor…” Loki started warningly. 

“Don’t fret, Loki. I will not harm your beloved,” Thor assured him. 

“Don’t we get a say in this?” Sam asked nervously, not quite sure what to make of his newest ‘brother’. 

“It’s okay, Hjert. He’s right. It would be hard for me to induce the proper responses from you and I suspect that your powers would be a better match for his than mine anyway,” Loki told him gently. He didn’t think he would be able to push Sam the way he would need to be pushed, and he was fairly certain that Sam’s powers were more defensive in nature which would be a good match for Thor’s primarily offensive powers. Loki’s own powers were more defensive, dealing in illusion and creation, so it would make it more difficult to work with Sam. He suspected that Dean’s, like Thor’s, would trend more towards offense as well though. Thor’s division did make more sense, despite his nerves at leaving his soulmate at the mercy of his often heavy-handed brother. He had to forcibly remind himself that Sam wasn’t as fragile as he was yesterday and had an innate healing ability now. He knew that his hovering would do more harm than good at this stage so he had to let Sam stand on his own feet now. If the worst happened and he was injured beyond his own ability to heal, Loki could always heal him completely. And then he would beat his brother senseless. 

Thor saw the reluctant agreement of everyone, and clapped his hands together. “Excellent!” he exclaimed as he grabbed Sam’s arm and disappeared with him in a flash of lightning and a wall appeared in the center of the garden clearing, separating the dueling duos and preventing distractions. 

When Sam and Thor reappeared on their side of the wall, Thor dropped Sam’s arm and the hunter backed away slowly, eyes widening nervously. The challenging grin that Thor shot him wasn’t exactly encouraging and Sam was caught off guard by the lightning bolt that shot at him from the thunder god’s hand. Sam threw his own hand up as if to ward it off and was caught even more off guard when it worked as a shimmering shield flowed into existence. Thor smiled as he said proudly, “Nice job baby brother.” Sam wrinkled his nose in distaste of the appellation. “But block this,” Thor finished with a smug smirk as he fell to a knee and placed a hand on the ground causing tremors beneath Sam’s feet and the hunter lost his balance. He threw out a hand towards Thor and this time it was the god’s turn to be caught off guard as his eyes widened as he went flying into the rose bushes surrounding them. He laughed heartily as he pulled himself out, picking the thorns from his skin. “Oh it’s on now,” he said amusedly as Sam gulped nervously. 

Thor raised his arms and vines started crawling out of the ground, clutching at Sam and the hunter tried to roll away from them which was a mistake as they quickly pinned him to the ground and another lightning bolt came from the sky and hit him right in the chest. It hurt like a bitch and Sam was sure for a second that he was about to die, but he was fine, if a little singed around the edges. When another bolt came down towards him, he felt a power welling up in him as he struggled against the vines and suddenly they all turned to ice and shattered allowing him to roll away unencumbered before the bolt could strike him. The blast wave sent him rolling away, and Thor laughed again. “Come on baby brother. Fight back,” he taunted good-naturedly.

Sam was starting to get pretty annoyed and threw his arms out again, causing a blast of ice to shoot towards Thor, encasing him in it, but before he could decide how to take advantage of the situation, he noticed the ground shaking enough beneath Thor to crack the ice and the older god just flung out his arms and shattered it in it’s weakened state. 

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Thor said happily. He really did enjoy these games. There was something deeply satisfying about pushing people to their limits. He was really barely trying here, but it was just as fun as if he was fighting all out because he got to see his new brother learning his powers and he was the one coaxing them out of him. He’d known that the first lightning bolt would hit him once he was pinned to the ground. He was counting on it. Sam needed to know that he wasn’t fighting for his life. Thor could have easily killed him, or even seriously injured him as helpless as he let himself be, but he just made it strong enough to feel some temporary pain. Give him some motivation, as it were. Most of all, to teach him that he is never helpless no matter how much he may feel like he is. There is always a way out, and it seemed like Sam had found an affinity for the water element. He wondered how long it would be before the young god saw the easy counter to Thor’s lightning, and if he would make the same mistake most water types did at first. 

Thor first wanted to make it clear to Sam what his element was. He had been at this long enough that he could control all the elements to some degree though air and earth were his primaries, but the best way to draw out water was with fire so Thor held out his hand to create a fireball. It took a little more effort than anything else, but it served its purpose as he waited until he was sure Sam saw it before he threw it at him. Sam true to form, threw out a hand and a stream of water flew out to extinguish it. Thor then smirked and tossed a low powered lightning bolt from his hand and once again, Sam met it with a stream of water. The water though was still flowing through his hand since he hadn’t let it go, and of course, electricity and water don’t mix very well and it was Sam’s turn to get blown into the rosebushes and he was a little more singed around the edges, along with now being wet. He glared at Thor who laughed enthusiastically. He hadn’t yet met a water that didn’t make that mistake. 

Thor wanted to see how fast the little hunter could learn from his mistakes so started queuing up another lightning bolt only to find himself drenched in a sphere of water himself coming from the fountain behind him and since this water completely engulfed him, he wasn’t blasted away from the electricity, rather surrounded by it. He quickly ended the lightning, but not before he got a good dose of the effects and ended up as singed and wet as his opponent. He only knew one way to get out of a water trap quickly. God or not he still needed to be able to breathe, so he drew up the earth from beneath him to wrap him in a cocoon and soak up the water, leaving him coated in mud, but able to breathe again as it fell away from his face. “Not nice,” he pouted, and this time Sam was the one to laugh. 

Sam was gaining more confidence in his powers, not to mention figuring them out a little more, so when Thor made the ground quake again, Sam let a torrent of water from his hands and used the quake to ride a wave out of the area before tossing an ice lance at Thor who deflected it with a burnished shield that appeared on his arm. Sam wondered if he could call a shield too, so he held out his arm and tried it, only to find himself with one as well, that was more shimmery and less solid than Thor’s. He almost thought it was made of water, except when he instinctively raised it to deflect the lightning it didn’t blast him this time, but rather just reflected it up towards the sky. This time when the vines started to grow around his feet, he wasted no time turning them to ice and shattering them, sending the shards racing towards his opponent. They fought on for a few more hours, Sam getting more and more confident, despite the fact that he took a lot more hits than Thor. The fact that he wasn’t getting slaughtered against one of the top battle gods was as a good as a win for him. Over the course of the fight he learned how to use the earth in his defense as well, but he wasn’t as good with it as he was with water. In the end, they were both wet, muddy, and more than a little scorched, though Sam had obviously come off worse.


	2. Chapter 2

While Sam and Thor were fighting it out on the other side of the wall, Loki turned to the task at hand. While he could easily take the offensive and push Dean to defense, he suspected that Dean’s talent would lie more in offense and to build confidence it would be best if he worked with that first, so Loki set out to goad him. It wouldn’t be difficult with a hothead like Dean. Loki took a spot a good distance away from Dean and crossed his arms, looking at him with a smug smirk that he knew would annoy Dean to no end. He gave it a good minute for it to have an effect before he raised a hand and twitched a finger, pulling the hunter’s legs out from under him, laughing as he fell on his ass. Dean glared at him, but wasn’t quite there yet. Loki’s smirk widened, and there was suddenly a monkey on his shoulder flinging poo at his head. Dean bristled and rolled his shoulder, blasting the monkey away and throwing out a hand shooting a fireball at Loki. 

Loki grinned and ducked as the fireball sailed over his head and hit the rosebushes. Luckily this area of the garden was often used for these games so the shrubbery was protected and the fire extinguished itself without intervention. He should have guessed that Dean would have an affinity for fire. “Now we’re cookin’,” Loki couldn’t help but joke. Dean snorted at the comment and decided to try something else, throwing out his hand and creating a whip of fire that Loki let hit him and wrap around him…for a moment at least, before it turned into a snake that bit down on Dean’s hand and wouldn’t let go. Loki watched in amusement as Dean shook his hand and tried to pull it away from the snake for a minute, hurting himself in the process, before he seemed to come to his senses and threw a fireball right down the thing’s throat. Loki threw out another hand and sent an ox at the new god, wanting to see how he decided to handle it. 

Dean’s eyes widened as he saw the beast bearing down on him. He had seen what Thor did earlier, but had no faith in his ability to do the same. He threw his arms out in front of himself and braced for the impact, surprised when a large shield appeared on his arm just before the ox hit. Dean dug his feet into the ground as he was pushed back, digging troughs as he slid, but wasn’t overcome. Apparently, Odin had been onto something when he named him Styrk (strength). He saw the almost proud look on Loki’s face before the trickster archangel snapped his fingers and the ox started to grow. Dean started to panic, before he decided to go for a hail mary and crouched down under the beast, not nearly as difficult as it would have been a moment ago, and used its own momentum to toss it through the air, amazed that it actually worked. 

When he looked back to Loki he realized that he had disappeared. He had thought the point of this game was to learn to use their powers not run away, so he was sure he was around here somewhere, just invisible. He smirked and threw out a fire whip again, flinging it in a circle until it connected and wrapped around something when the threw out his other hand and Loki became visible as he flew through the air. 

As they fought on, Loki realized that he had been right on the money about Dean being primarily offensive. Fire was the great destroyer. There wasn’t much Loki could throw at him that he couldn’t destroy, so Loki pulled back his creation and illusionary powers and started working with the elements. Unlike the true pagans, who only had real skill with one or two elements, Loki could call on them all, and so he did. He used water to extinguish Dean’s fire, air to turn it back on him, and earth to smother it, all while attacking him with barbs of ice, lightning bolts, clinging vines, and so on. They both ended up rather disheveled and a little burned, but Dean had a much better handle on his powers by the time Loki noticed exhaustion creeping up on him and called a halt. He didn’t want to drain Dean’s powers too much the first time out. For that matter, he should probably stop Sam and Thor too before Sam ended up drained. Thor tended to get lost in the heat of the fight and not notice those sorts of things. 

Loki waved an arm and collapsed the wall that Thor had raised to find that the other two had apparently had the same idea about calling it a night. After a quick appraisal of Sam to make sure he wasn’t hurt he couldn’t help but laugh at the sight they made. “Let me guess. Water?” he asked Sam through his guffaws. 

Sam’s lips twitched as he tried not to laugh too while he nodded. “Dean’s fire?” he guessed accurately seeing the burned clothing and ashes covering the two. 

Dean, also laughing at the scorched mud monsters, said, “We should probably go clean up.”

Sam smirked, feeling more than a little playful, and waved a hand as a tidal wave of water broke over all of them.

Dean sighed and shook his head. “And dry off,” he said ruefully. 

Thor then took up the smirk and waved his own hand as they were buffeted with winds from all sides, drying them thoroughly. 

Dean just rolled his eyes, muttering about showoffs before he said, “And fix our clothes,” with a half-hearted glare, daring someone to take that away from him too. Loki rose to the occasion and snapped his fingers making all their clothing pristine once again. “Asshole,” he said under his breath and all of them dissolved into laughter. 

“Let’s hit the kitchens,” Thor suggested. A good sparring match always worked up an appetite. Just because they didn’t need to eat didn’t mean they didn’t like to and he suspected the newest members of the family were still in the habit of doing so anyway. It would give them a chance to talk and bond more. 

“We should get Cas first,” Dean said. 

“Go ahead,” Loki told him. “You can travel just as easily as we can now.” Dean looked at him curiously. “Just kinda will yourself there,” he explained, trying not to laugh as Dean looked like he was trying to lay an egg for a few minutes until he finally disappeared in a burst of flame. 

“Cool!” Sam said excitedly. “I wonder what I’ll look like when I travel like that.”

“Why don’t you give it a shot?” Loki suggested encouragingly. “Meet us in the kitchen,” he said as he disappeared and Thor vanished in a flash of lightning. Sam took another minute before he felt a chill wash over him and then he was in the kitchen brushing the ice out of his hair. 

“Cool!” Sam said again figuring he traveled by ice. 

Cas arrived first with a look of annoyance on his face. “It would have been nice to have some warning before Dean appeared in front of me and set himself on fire.”

The other three laughed heartily at that, and that only increased when Cas informed him that Dean was changing into some intact clothes. Dean appeared a minute later and apparently did much better because he only had to pat at a few smoldering spots and then looked at Loki hopefully and the trickster archangel rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, repairing the singed clothing. “I’ll get the hang of it,” Dean promised, still feeling rather proud of himself. “Maybe I’ll just travel next to Sa-Hjert for the time being so he can put me out,” he joked, still trying to get used to calling his brother by his pagan name while they were in Asgard. 

As they sat down to eat, Sam and Dean started pelting the more experienced gods with questions. “So, we all get one element?” Sam started off.

“All pagans have some affinity with earth, and most will have another element that they specialize in. Some have a greater affinity with earth than others and another specialized element,” Loki started to explain. 

“For example, my greatest affinity is air, but earth is a very close second. I can call up fire and water, but it takes much more effort and drains me pretty quickly so I don’t use them much,” Thor told them. “Once you’re more experienced, you’ll be able to call on all of them too, with some effort.”

“I noticed it took a little more effort to use earth than it did water, but earth wasn’t too difficult,” Sam told them. 

“You may find it as easy as I do, and have it very close in skill to your natural affinity. The fact that you can use it with any accuracy already would seem to show that,” Thor told him with a nod. 

“I could barely use earth at all,” Dean said annoyed that his brother could use two elements and he could only use one. 

“Yeah, but you have much more physical strength than most, which is an aspect of earth, even if it’s not a direct use. You may just have a more passive skill with that element, which is understandable since fire is almost pure offense,” Loki explained. 

“So, what other kinds of things can we do with our powers other than offense and defense?” Dean asked curiously. 

“Oh, all kinds of things. This was just about getting a feel for them and getting used to using them. We’ve found that it’s easier to overcome the inherent disbelief in a more combative situation so you can get a feel for them and what they can do. Once you’re rested up, we’ll hit the fairgrounds so you can learn a little more versatility with them,” Loki told them. 

“That was just a little vague,” Sam grumbled. 

“Sorry kiddo,” Loki said cheerfully. “Your powers are yours to explore. Only you can find your limits and capabilities. I can work with you on conjuration. You should be able to at least be able to grasp the basics. At least you’d have to be better the Thor here,” he teased his brother. 

“We can’t all be creation masters,” Thor said petulantly. He could barely conjure up a change of clothes, much less anything bigger or more complicated. 

“Great! When can we start that?” Sam asked excitedly. 

“Let’s give it a few days and get the rest down before we start pushing boundaries,” Loki said with a chuckle. He remembered when he was learning to get a handle on his powers, both when he was a child and when he took on the pagan aspects and knew well the desire to do it all right away. He also knew how well that worked, which is to say not at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Once they were done eating, Sam said, “I think I’d like to check out the library for a while since we’re resting.”

Loki grinned. He was honestly surprised his bonded waited this long. “Did you want some company?” he asked, not sure if he wanted Sam to say yes or not. On one hand, he always enjoyed spending time with Sam, but on the other, he wanted him to learn to be more comfortable here and stand on his own two feet which meant not hovering. 

“I’m good. I mean, you can come if you want, but you don’t have to,” Sam clarified, not wanting his lover to think that he didn’t want him around. 

“That’s okay. I can take some time to catch up with Thor here,” Loki told him with a mischievous grin at his brother who groaned at that. 

Sam just laughed loudly before asking for directions to the library. No sooner than Sam was headed out, Dean and Cas made their excuses to go back to their rooms. Their relationship was rather new after all. 

Sam stopped short in the library doorway, not sure if he should continue in or not. When Odin raised his head to look at him, he stammered out. “Sorry sir. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Odin just shook his head ruefully. “Come, Hjert. Sit,” he said gently. Once Sam was doing so, he said. “First of all, you are now my son. You may call me father, or when we are in informal settings like this, you may even call me dad, just please not pops. If I knew how to break Loki of saying that name I would gladly do so.”

Sam laughed at that. “I think the fact that you hate it just makes it more fun for him.”

“You’re probably right,” Odin said with an amused sigh. 

“I think I’ll stick with father for now though. I mean, I already had a dad and as crappy as he was, he was still my dad. It’s gonna take some time to separate myself from that,” Sam said and then flushed as he realized how that probably sounded, but not knowing how to take it back. 

“I do understand. I want to make it clear though, that I am not attempting or intending to replace him. Just join alongside him. You now have two fathers, and you may call me whatever appellation makes you more comfortable. As long as it’s not pops,” he added with a chuckle that was matched by Sam. “I must thank you Hjert.”

“For what?” Sam asked curiously. 

“It has been a long time since my boys came to visit me. This old castle gets rather lonely in their absence. It is comforting to hear laughter echoing through the halls again,” Odin told him sadly. 

Sam could imagine that it must have been difficult for Odin to admit that and he knew just how much he owed the old god. He had adopted them, at great risk, simply because Loki asked him to and because they were in danger. Even if he were averse to the idea, he still would have made the offer. “I can attempt to make sure Loki at least visits more. I don’t know if I can make any promises for Thor though.”

“With you and Styrk? Don’t forget you are my boys now too,” Odin said pointedly. 

“Sure. We’ll all come around more often,” Sam told him. 

“Good. You’ve made an old god very happy,” Odin said patting Sam’s hand that was resting on the table. “I’m glad to see that you survived Loki and Thor’s games,” he said amusedly. “I love those two boys dearly, but neither of them are very responsible or very gentle.”

“Well I think it helped that Thor didn’t want to piss Loki off if he hurt me too much. I just got a little cooked around the edges,” Sam said with a chuckle. 

Odin laughed heartily. “Yes. The last thing we need is another feud between those two. I understand those are legendary even in the human world.”

“Yeah. In fact, according to human lore, Loki and Thor are mortal enemies,” Sam said partially in question. 

“The fight sometimes, like most brothers do, and being who and what they are, those fights are rather larger in scale than most, but above all else they are brothers. They always find their way back. I’d imagine the difference is because it’s only their fights that spill over into the human world so they don’t know any differently.”

“That makes sense,” Sam agreed. “Can…can I ask you something?” he asked a little nervously. 

“You may always ask me anything. I can’t promise I will always answer though,” Odin said encouragingly. 

“Well…I haven’t asked Loki because I don’t want to dredge up any more difficult memories, but can you tell me about him…from before?” 

Odin knew his first adopted son well and he knew that Loki wouldn’t mind him sharing this with Sam. He knew that Loki wouldn’t hesitate to share anything with his bonded, no matter how difficult the memories may be. Still, he didn’t want Hjert to stop talking to his bonded either. “I can tell you the story from my point of view, but you should still talk to Loki about them as well. You must know he would deny you nothing, and often sharing the difficult memories makes them easier to bear.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” Sam said sheepishly. “I just…I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“Then let me tell you of the time I met Loki and how I brought him into the family and then you will have a place to begin,” Odin said as he smiled and began the story. “In those days, I left the castle more often that I am able to do now. My wife was still alive then to share my duties and I did a lot of traveling. Always looking for more knowledge. I enjoyed traveling among the humans as one of them. They had a way of seeing things that was unlike any I’d known and speaking with them was fascinating. While I was riding my carriage down a winding path between villages, I sensed something. I couldn’t quite place it. It was almost angelic, which nearly had me turning around, but it was withered and sick, and I couldn’t turn my back on any being that needed help.”

“So, you didn’t like angels?” Sam asked curiously. 

“I was…nervous…around angels. In a one on one battle, angels are more than a match for gods, and they weren’t very accepting of us in those times. The easy truce we’d had for millennia was all but shattered and they were more aggressive and cold than they ever had been. It wasn’t until I got Loki’s story that I understood why. But I digress. I turned towards the sickly feeling and found a small being shivering and frightened and trying to hide. You see, he was trying to smother his grace so that the others couldn’t find him and it was working for the most part. Where he would usually be able to be sensed within a thousand-kilometer radius, I was nearly on top of him before I sensed him. There was a cost though. It was damaging his grace to do so and making him sick and weak. His vessel was dying. I don’t know how much longer he had before the vessel died and he was expelled, creating a beacon for all to follow, but I doubt it was very long. I picked him up and took him back to the castle where the wards would distort the signature of his grace without harming him at all. That way he could let go and none could find him or even see what he was. Just that he was powerful.”

“So the people here would have thought he was just another god?” Sam guessed. 

“Precisely. It took a little while for me to convince him that he was safe and when he did finally let go, it was a good thing we were in private rooms because even the wards in the castle couldn’t have hidden the glow that was released as his grace rejoiced at being free. It was then that I realized that he was no seraph or even a cherub. I was harboring one of the great archangels, and I knew that he could kill me and level my entire kingdom if he so chose, but I wasn’t afraid. I had seen something in him while he was sick. I could see that all he wanted was a home and I was determined to give him one. I didn’t know what made him so afraid or so despondent, but I wanted to help him. He was unconscious for a long while. Nearly a week. My wife, Frigg, and I stayed with him until his grace settled down, and then we had others sit with him so that he wouldn’t wake alone. We still visited often though and they had orders to send for me when he woke. I hoped that he would remember me and recognize a friendly face.”

“What happened to your wife?” Sam asked curiously. 

“She fell in battle with the giants a few thousand years after all this. It was the first feud Thor and Loki had since Loki was married to a giantess at the time, though she was no part of the war, but all Thor could see was his brother with those that killed his mother.”

“That must have been difficult for all of you,” Sam said sympathetically. 

“It was…difficult…beyond measure. Frigg and I had been together for a hundred thousand years. She had given me a son, and we had adopted another. She was the heart of this kingdom,” Odin said sadly. “But back to the story…when he woke, I cleared the room and we talked. I found out who he was…Gabriel…and why he left heaven. That is his story to tell if he hasn’t yet so I will not share it, but I will tell you that he was running in fear of his life. My heart broke for him and the lengths that he was willing to go to in order to escape just proved his strength. I made him an offer. I offered him a new family, a new home, in return for his loyalty and respect. He replied that he would give me loyalty and respect only as long as I earned it and I knew then that I had made the right decision. He would be a perfect addition to the family.”

“Did he have to go through the trials too?” Sam asked. 

“He did, though his were different from yours. The trials play to your strengths, so where you had a gauntlet filled with deadly traps and physical dangers since those were your strengths, his was filled with puzzles and tests of imagination and resourcefulness. His powers were temporarily muted during the tests, otherwise it would have been too easy so it had to test him in other ways. When he saved the child, he too, barreled out of that room ready to level Asgard to the ground. It took some time for him to calm enough to discuss the trial and I had to give him his powers back long enough for him to make sure I was being truthful about no child being harmed before he would listen.”

“It was easier for Dean and I, because we trusted him and he trusted you,” Sam told him as he figured that out. 

“Yes. It did make the situation slightly less volatile than usual,” Odin said with a smile. “The next trial though was even harder for him in many ways. His way down the hall was marred by seraphs holding torture implements and using words that cut more deeply than any blade could reach. At the end of the hallway were his two brothers and his father, telling him that he was a mistake and should never have been created, among other just as hurtful things. It took a great deal of time before he stumbled out of the door and fell to his knees in tears. I dismissed the court and carried him to his rooms where he cried himself to sleep and I felt like a monster for putting him through that.”

“Why did you?” Sam asked with more curiosity than reprimand. 

“All who wish to join the royal court…especially the royal family…must be laid bare. We must know their hopes and dreams and fears. Giving that sort of power to just anyone could be disastrous. Granted, he was already more powerful than us as Gabriel, but to put him in the line of ascension would mean the throne of Asgard would answer to him and all the powers of our people as well. Should he wish, he could kill myself and Thor and take control of it all and destroy all the pagan peoples. We couldn’t afford not to be sure.”

“I can understand that,” Sam said with a nod, but not feeling any less empathetic for his soulmate. 

“And so did he once he was able to see it objectively. He almost didn’t complete the third trial, but I assured him it was far less emotional than the others and he finally agreed. Rather than choosing between riches and knowledge like you and Styrk, he had to choose between order and love. It may seem an easy choice on the surface, but it was just as difficult as the one you faced. Love is messy and chaotic and far from easy. Order is clean, you always know what to expect and how to act. He, of course, chose love, not that I had any doubts about that given the circumstances he came to us in and I welcomed him as my second son.”

“How many sons do you have now? Loki made it seem like this was something that was done fairly often in the old days,” Sam inquired. 

“I have four now. Most that I bring into the fold I do not bring into my immediate family. All of my people are my family, but not as close as my sons. I found myself drawn to Loki in such a way that I could not allow anyone else to take on the role of his father. I wanted him for my own. With you and Styrk, you were already close to Loki, and that combined with how impressed I was with you, made it an easy decision. While the draw I had towards the two of you wasn’t as strong as the one I had with Loki given the situation I found him in, combined with the rest and the fact that I also didn’t want you to feel inferior to him, being lower in rank, made it an easy choice.”


	4. Chapter 4

“You mentioned lines of ascension. Does this mean that De-Styrk and I are in the line for the throne now?” Sam asked with wide eyes. 

“It is my hope that one day, when I retire, my sons will share the throne. Yes I include you and Styrk in this. It is…difficult…to rule alone. Even with Frigg by my side it was challenging. Neither Thor nor Loki are the type to sit still for long, and especially not the type to enjoy the unique challenges of running a kingdom. I don’t know you or Styrk that well yet, but I would guess that you are much the same. Each of you have different strengths that can be useful and even necessary in a ruler and sharing the burden among the four of you, along with Styrk’s mate and Thor’s should he ever settle down, would make things run more smoothly as well as give you all continued freedom to live separate lives if you so choose,” Odin explained. 

“Do you miss having a chance for a separate life?” Sam asked. He had picked up on that distinction over the course of the conversation and could tell that the older god felt trapped here by his responsibilities. 

“Sometimes I do. But my people need me, and my children are not yet ready to take over. I will be fine for a while longer. Maybe in a few thousand years we will speak of making changes.”

Sam couldn’t even fathom a few thousand years right now. It may seem like just a while to Odin, but to Sam it seemed like forever. He wasn’t too sure about the idea of him ruling anything, but he could definitely understand Odin’s desire to retire. Maybe by then he would be okay ruling. As long as he had Loki and his brothers at his side. Before Sam could respond the library door opened and someone came rushing in. “My lord, you are needed in the throne room.”

“I will be there momentarily,” Odin told the woman as she rushed out. “Duty calls,” he said to Sam before handing him a book. “You may wish to start your reading with this. The history and origins of our people.”

“Thank you…Father,” Sam said stumbling a bit over the appellation. He had been planning to look for that particular subject anyway so he had been saved quite a bit of searching. Odin dropped a hand on Sam’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze as he walked out. 

Sam quickly found himself lost in the book. It was amazing how little he had known about the gods. It turned out the Nephilim weren’t always forbidden and there used to be quite a few of them, Odin and Frigg among them, but they were unstable. Their powers were uncontrollable, by them or by anyone else. According to the history, Odin once levelled his entire village and killed everyone in it during a tantrum in his terrible twos. Once the angels realized that the Nephilim were unstable they locked them away while they tried to find a solution. They didn’t really want to kill their children of course, but they did make it illegal to spawn a Nephilim from then on and any new ones that were born would be killed. The current ones though were not created out of disobedience and neither they, nor their parents could hold any blame for their existence. 

Sam felt terrible for all those children. Sure they killed a lot of people, but it was accidental. They couldn’t control it and it wasn’t their fault. The angels that locked them away weren’t exactly kind about it either. They essentially lived for years in a dark locked room, or multiple dark locked rooms. There were about fifty kids per room. They didn’t need to eat or drink or sleep being what they were so they were just ignored. Odin, at four years old when they arrived, was the oldest in his room, which became the beginning of the Norse gods. Sam guessed that the children from the other rooms stuck together as other pantheons. It would make sense. They lived like that for seven years before the angels found a solution. They were pulled out one by one, and underwent a very painful ritual, with no explanation of course, to fuse their soul and grace together, creating something that was neither and tying it to the planet where they lived, to keep them trapped on that world. That was where their natural affinity with the earth element came from. Once they were done, the children were dumped in an uninhabited and usually inhospitable area to make their own way in the world. Odin, at eleven years old, took charge of his group and began to create a society, a kingdom. 

As Sam read about all the trials they had to overcome, and how they learned how to use and control their powers and use them for the betterment of all, he couldn’t help but be awed at them. As the humans became more plentiful and they got over their fear of mixing with them again, they learned that they could gain more power by worship and quickly set out to form a symbiotic relationship. They gained power and the people had plentiful crops, good health, and long lives, and sometimes, when one of them stood out as worthy, they would be brought into the fold and given powers as well. 

The book went on to speak of the truce with the angels. How they would acknowledge the gods as beings in their own right, but disavowed any relation to them. Given the way they had been treated by the angels, no one was really bothered by that fact, and they were just glad that they were given respect and left in peace. It definitely explained Odin’s nervousness regarding angels once the truce became more fractured. After what he had experienced at their hands anyone would be nervous. 

Sam was almost finished with the book when the door to the library opened again. “Apologies, my prince. Your father wishes to see you in the throne room at your earliest convenience,” a man said bowing low. 

“Thank you…” he gestured for the man to introduce himself. 

“Bjorn, my liege.”

“Thank you, Bjorn. Would you lead me there? I still get a little lost,” he asked with an encouraging smile. He knew better than to ask the man not to bow, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t treat him with respect and he doubted anyone would have any problem with that. In fact, it spoke a great deal for the people he was now with that none of the…servants for lack of a better word, seemed surprised to be treated with respect. He doubted they would be so bold as to complain if they weren’t, but it seemed like it wasn’t an issue anyway. 

When they arrived at the entrance to the throne room, Bjorn waved him in and headed back the way they had come. Sam walked in and noticed that the full court was assembled and Loki, Dean, Cas, and Thor were already waiting in what looked like a gallery to the side. At least he could tell that they just arrived having not even settled in their seats yet, so he wasn’t too late. He was glad he didn’t take the ‘at your earliest convenience’ too literally and made a mental note that the phrase apparently meant ‘now unless you have a very good excuse’. He wondered for a moment if he should kneel when he got to the front but then remembered that Loki had when they arrived in front of the full court too so he guessed that he was supposed to and that was confirmed by Loki’s gestures when he looked over to him. When he reached the front he took a knee in front of his new father, noticing the two smaller thrones to his left which were currently occupied. 

“Rise my son, and welcome,” Odin said warmly, sweeping his arm out towards the gallery where the others were seated and Sam walked over and sat next to Loki.

Seeing that everyone else was currently whispering among themselves, including the three on the thrones at the front, Sam turned to Loki and asked softly, “What’s going on?” 

“Not sure exactly. There wasn’t anything on the agenda for today, so it must have just come up, and Jupiter and Juno are here so it must be big and have to do with the Romans,” Loki whispered back. 

“Odin…Father…was in the library when I arrived but he was called away,” Sam told him. 

“It must have had something to do with this then. We’ll find out shortly I’d assume. Since we’re over here and not part of the proceedings I can explain what’s happening as we go,” Loki told him. He had positioned himself between Sam and Dean with Cas on Dean’s other side and Thor on Sam’s. 

“Will we be doing this often?” Dean asked. 

“As long as we are in residence, we are entitled to attend any court business. Our presence will only be requested if it has to do with us or for something more important than normal business. If we aren’t here already we’ll only be summoned if it is regarding us,” Loki explained. 

“Okay. I can live with that,” Dean said relaxing. He didn’t want to end up getting dragged in here all the time if he could help it after all. 

 

After a few minutes, a gong sounded and all attention turned to Odin. “Is there any business before we begin the proceedings?” 

The woman on the smaller throne, Sam assumed she was Juno, spoke. “I must protest the presence of a seraph at these proceedings.”

“The seraph is no longer a part of the armies of heaven, and more importantly is the soulmate of my son,” Odin said evenly. 

“I withdraw my protest,” Juno said with a smile and a nod.

 

“They probably already discussed that, but they needed it on the record,” Loki whispered to the others. “I’m guessing that this is to be a trial of some sort, and that a Roman is the accused.”

“I thought that no one could tell an angel within these wards,” Sam asked confused. 

Loki raised an eyebrow. Sam must have been speaking with Odin about that, probably about when Loki arrived if he didn’t realize those wards weren’t active anymore. “When tensions with the angels started to rise, those wards were removed for our safety.”

“Makes sense,” Sam replied. 

 

“Bring in the accused!” Odin said imperiously. A struggling woman, bound in chains was pulled through the door and placed into the seat in front of the thrones. Once she was seated, Odin turned to the side. “Syn, if you would?” 

 

“Syn has the power to compel the truth. She is making sure that everything is fair and honest,” Loki told them. 

“What if she’s innocent?” Sam asked. 

“Then Odin will have egg on his face and have to pay reparations to the Romans for the persecution of one of their citizens. He wouldn’t have acted without pretty good proof,” Loki assured him. 

 

“Vesta. You are accused with taking unwilling blood sacrifices from humans. How do you plead?” Odin asked. 

“Guilty,” Vesta snarled. 

“What justification do you offer for your actions?” he asked. 

“We are better than they are. They should worship us, but they turned their backs on us. They betrayed us. They are destroying us. Why should we spare them? I took what I needed. What they should have given freely,” she said heatedly. 

“In what ways were you suffering that caused you to go to such lengths?” Odin asked curiously. 

 

“Now that we know she’s guilty he’s trying to make sure there aren’t extenuating circumstances that should be taken into account during sentencing,” Loki whispered. 

 

“How was I suffering? You should know! You should all know! We are weak! Starving for the slightest bit of power! We should be fighting for what is our due, not sniveling in the cold taking the scraps from their tables. We are gods! We should be acting like it!”

Odin shook his head ruefully and tried one more tactic. “Is there anything else you feel we should know before we pass sentence?” 

“I have said all I have to say. If you are too cowardly to see the truth, then you are the ones at fault. Not me,” she said hatefully. 

“Are there any objections to the standard sentence for treason,” Odin asked looking over the Asgardian court. When no one spoke, he turned to the other two rulers. “Jupiter, Juno, are you agreed?”

“We are. She is yours to do with as you will,” Jupiter said imperiously. 

 

“Now the Romans are the ones with egg on their face because their transgressor was caught by others instead of them. Since she is guilty and has been sentenced their reparation comes in the form of allowing us to carry out the sentence,” Loki explained. 

“Won’t that cause tensions or something?” Sam asked nervously. 

“Nah. Only if they had thrown a fuss about it. They will be more diligent in watching their people in the future, but everything was carried out correctly and fairly, so no one has any cause to complain. Sometimes people get a little up in arms anyway, but from what I know of them, Jupiter and Juno are all about law and order. They won’t have any problems with how this was done.”

“There will be a feast afterwards,” Thor told them leaning around Sam so that Dean and Cas could hear him too. “Jupiter and Juno will be the honored guests and we’ll all be expected to attend.”

“At least we’re not the center of attention this time,” Dean grumbled. 

“Not a ball, a feast,” Loki clarified. “A ball is what we had after your introduction. A feast is like before your third trial.”

“Oh. That’s not so bad.”

By this time, the guards were entering the room, carrying a small pillow with a gold armband resting on it. “That’s Draupnir. Father’s armband. It will draw all of her power into it leaving her human, where she will be returned to the world. If she wants to harm anyone else, she will do it as a human and be subject to their laws. She will gain nothing by doing so though. Most who undergo this procedure end up bitter, angry, and lonely, sometimes suicidal, but not usually dangerous to others,” Loki explained. 

“So, she’s having her power sucked out? Where does it go?” Dean asked. 

“Draupnir will be replaced in the power center after the ceremony and her power will be distributed throughout Asgard. It will be used to power the city for the good of all.”


	5. Chapter 5

Sam and Dean weren’t the only ones to avert their eyes and wince as Vesta screamed in agony while her power was being drained into the armband. In fact, the only ones not to do so were Odin, feeling that it was his responsibility to watch the sentence carried out, and Cas, who had seen and done far worse. Once it was over and she was dragged sobbing from the room, Odin stood and announced, “The feast will commence in two hours,” before turning to Jupiter and Juno and bowing low. “We would be pleased if you would join us as our honored guests.”

Jupiter and Juno stood and bowed in return. “We thank you for your hospitality,” they said unison. 

“The court is dismissed,” Odin announced. Once the room was clear except for the royals, Odin waved his sons and Cas over. “Jupiter, Juno, you remember Thor and Loki.” Both gods bowed respectfully. “These are my newest sons Hjert, soulmate to Loki and Styrk, accompanied by his soulmate Castiel.” They bowed as well following Thor and Loki’s lead. 

Jupiter and Juno returned their bows. “Well met and congratulations on your new family,” Juno said warmly. 

Now that the introductions were over the formalities were dropped and Sam and Dean found themselves relaxing as they enjoyed the conversation. They didn’t contribute much since even as much lore and mythology as Sam knew, he knew from a human perspective and they obviously had quite a bit wrong and neither of them wanted to embarrass themselves in front of the Roman rulers. Odin noticed their reticence after a while and shifted the conversation to more modern times, and Sam and Dean happily joined in on the conversation this time. 

After the feast when everyone dispersed, Jupiter and Juno heading back to their own kingdoms, and the court heading back to whatever they do when court isn’t in session, Odin called Dean to wait and led him into a lounge. “Am I in trouble sir?” Dean asked nervously. He thought maybe he had gotten a little too relaxed and free with his speech at the feast. 

“No, not at all. I simply wanted to speak with you one on one. Have a seat Styrk. First of all, as I told Hjert, you are my son now. You can call me father or, when informal like this, dad. I know you already had a dad, and I have no interest in taking his place, but merely to be a second father. As he is the father to your human side, I am the father to your pagan side so to speak.”

That made sense to Dean and he had long lost the whole reverence of his father after what he tried to put on his shoulders regarding Sam. “Okay…dad. I have a question. Was that whole dog and pony show out there for our benefit?” he asked trying to keep the accusation from his voice. 

“I am unsure what you mean,” Odin asked confused. 

“I just find it kinda suspicious that we just talked about what would happen to a god who went rogue and then suddenly there is one,” Dean said bluntly. 

“Ah. I see. I brought up the issue during our conversation before because it was fresh on my mind. Vesta has been under suspicion for a while, and has been good at not leaving any evidence. It came to a head far sooner than I expected, but I did have a reason for bringing it up if that’s what you were asking.”

“You’ve been…what…watching her? Investigating? How does that work?” Dean asked, now more curious than anything else. 

“Watching her is not really an option. With her abilities to travel instantaneously and sense any other gods in the area, we were left to look for evidence of her transgressions. This was not the way I preferred to do things, but rather than come to me with the evidence so I could decide where to go next, meaning whether to pass it on to the Romans or take action myself, they were forced to apprehend her in order to save a human that she was about to kill. Prior to that, the only evidence we had against her was the fact that whenever she would pop up in a town there would be a few disappearances before she would leave again, which, while suspicious, could also mean she was chasing someone else causing the disappearances, or as unlikely as it may be, simply be bad luck. I did appreciate the opportunity to show you how we handle such transgressions, and was looking forward to getting your thoughts on the matter.”

“My thoughts? Why?” Dean asked dumb-founded. Why would his opinion matter to Odin of all beings?

“You are coming in with a fresh viewpoint, a human viewpoint even. You see justice as important and I suspect that even among humans, you have a unique opinion on the subject.”

“So…what…you’re asking for my advice?” Dean asked incredulously. 

“As a king, one should never presume to know all and should always be willing to listen to different takes on any given situation. As different as possible even so that he can make the most informed decision possible. I’m not saying that I will make any changes based on your thoughts. I may or I may not, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable,” Odin told him. 

Dean had the odd feeling that Odin was trying to teach him a lesson as well as asking his opinion, but he didn’t know why, so he just settled on giving his new father what he asked for. “In my line of work…my way of life even, if it’s not human and it kills humans then it dies,” he said bluntly. 

“I see. So you think she should have been killed rather than stripped of her powers? She is now human so wouldn’t that make her out of the reach of that brand of justice?” Odin asked curiously. 

“Honestly, that’s never really been an option for me so it’s not something I’ve considered much, but I have to say this…what’s to stop her from taking that vendetta out on other humans. That’s still her taking her nonhuman roots to harm humans, even if she is one now, if that makes sense.”

Odin appeared deep in thought for a moment. “I see your point. However, the reason she harmed humans was so that she could gain power, which is no longer possible, leaving her with no reason to harm anyone. It may not seem that way to you, having been so recently mortal, but for those who should live forever, having only a few decades left to live is still a death sentence. She simply has a chance for redemption first.”

“Yeah, but what if she doesn’t take it? Who carries the blame for anyone she hurts from here on out? When we could have stopped the threat, but just let her go instead.”

“So you’re saying that our eagerness to see her redeemed could cost more lives. That is a…unique…way of seeing things, but I can see the wisdom in it. There is still the issue that she is no longer in our jurisdiction. Hmm…” Odin trailed off deep in thought and Dean thought about arguing his point more, but wanted to see what Odin did with it first. After a while he seemed to come to a conclusion. “What if we were to have her followed? It should be easy enough now that she’s human. We can give it a few of your years and should she cause any permanent physical harm, including death, to another human, we will turn evidence over to their law enforcement and see that she is apprehended to be tried by their laws.”

“Just permanent physical harm?” Dean asked. 

“We have no reason to involve ourselves with petty crimes. If she steals a loaf of bread, it’s none of our business,” Odin told him. “Of course, we won’t step in should she get caught committing some petty crimes, but we won’t turn her in either.”

“Good enough for me,” Dean said. He didn’t really care about that either, and if he was going to make a fuss about stealing and lying and fraud or any of that he really would be a hypocrite. People would be protected. That was all he really cared about. 

“Thank you, Styrk. This was most enlightening,” Odin said cheerfully. “So, tell me son. How are you coping with all the changes you have undergone?” 

It was a few more hours before Dean made his way back to his rooms, all talked out. Dean never really was much for talking, but Odin had this way of drawing the words out of you, and after he had been so understanding and listened to Dean’s concerns and even done something about them, he didn’t feel like repaying that by being rude and shutting down. His real father had never cared about Dean’s opinion. Even Sam didn’t for the most part. Oh, Sam listened, and then argued and dismissed his ideas, even if he did usually end up going along reluctantly just to prevent a fight. Odin actually made it seem like his views counted for something though and it was refreshing.


	6. Chapter 6

Once Odin and Dean left the room, Cas looked decidedly uncomfortable. Loki noticed that and said, “Don’t worry, Cassie. Deano will be fine. Dad probably just wants some one on one time with him.”

“I know. I just…” Cas trailed off. 

“Just what?” Loki asked concerned. 

“I have no place here. I’m only here because of Dean and…” he trailed off again. 

“Of course you have a place here beyond Dean. You’re my brother. You’re Sam’s brother in law. You don’t really have any relation to Thor here, but he’s cool with having you around, right?” he turned to Thor with the question. 

“I have no reason to object, and wouldn’t be averse to getting to know you better. When you and Styrk bond, you will be my brother in law as well after all,” Thor said matter-of-factly. 

Cas seemed to ignore Thor’s words and focused on Loki’s. “I’m your brother, you say. And yet all the interaction I’ve had with you has been you keeping me prisoner, a brief conversation, and then coming here and being ignored. You have family here already. You don’t seem to need more,” he said bitterly. 

Thor threw an arm over Sam’s shoulders and said, “Come on baby brother. I want to show you the game room. I think you’d enjoy it.” He led an un-protesting Sam out of the room. They both knew that Cas and Loki had some damage control to do in their relationship. Honestly, Sam was feeling a bit neglected by Loki the last few days too, but there had been so much going on and he’d had years with him beforehand. Cas had just come back into his life so it was understandable that he would need some reassurance and to find his place in things again.

As Thor and Sam were walking out, Loki pulled Cas into a tight hug. “I’m sorry Cassie. I never meant to ignore you. Everything’s just been happening so fast, and you’re right. I haven’t been paying any attention to you. I’ve been so worried about helping Sa-Hjert and Styrk adjust to being here it didn’t even dawn on me that you might be feeling lost too.”

Cas was taken aback at his brother’s reaction. He hadn’t been expecting him to take it to heart like that. He wasn’t really sure what he was expecting really. Perhaps cool indifference like Michael would have shown. Or maybe an argument like Raphael’s style. Definitely not a heartfelt apology and complete acceptance of his angry words. “I…I understand you have had much to do since we’ve arrived here,” he said hesitantly, not really sure how to react. 

“That’s no excuse for abandoning you in a strange place. Come on. Let’s take a tour and do some catching up. Have a little brotherly bonding time.”

“You don’t have to feel obligated to…”

Loki interrupted him. “I’m not obligated, Cassie. I’ve missed you. I want to spend some time with you and now we have the perfect opportunity, so stop being a stick in the mud and let’s go.”

They didn’t spend much time in the castle, having already seen most of the public areas with the events of the last few days. Loki did point out the library, the lounges, and the game room. Loki considered showing him the game room, but knew that Thor and Sam were in there and this time was for him to spend with Cas rather than get pulled into a group thing. He resolved to show that to Cas later. After that they spent a great deal of time walking around the grounds and talking. Cas finally got the real story of what happened in heaven all those millennia ago and found himself in the unique position of comforting his big brother. 

Cas started to get an idea for what he could do. Something he could dedicate his life to now that he wasn’t a soldier anymore. “How long are we going to stay here brother?” he asked curiously. 

“I don’t know. A few weeks maybe. Maybe less. It’ll mostly depend on Hjert and Styrk,” he told him. 

“You don’t plan to call them Sam and Dean anymore?” he asked pointedly. 

“We are in Asgard. Their Asgardian names are Hjert and Styrk. Those names were given to them by the king of Asgard who saved them from a terrible fate. As long as we are here, they are Hjert and Styrk. To do otherwise would be an insult to Asgard. Once we’re back home, they can decide what they want to go by,” Loki explained. 

“I…understand,” Cas said thoughtfully. When he put it like that it made sense. He decided to float his idea by his brother. “I was considering what to do with myself when we go back. I had the idea that I could find other angels that would be receptive to the information and show them what heaven used to be like. Perhaps Anael could help me. We could try to restore heaven to its rightful glory.”

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose. This was a foolish crusade if he ever heard one. “Michael and Raphael will never let it happen. You’re talking about civil war. Pitting your brothers and sisters against each other in battle,” he pointed out. 

Cas looked taken aback. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I can’t sit back and do nothing, Ga-Loki. “They deserve to know the truth. They…they deserve to remember love and laughter and light. You want to just abandon them all over again?” 

Loki spun to look at Cas like he’d just been slapped. That was a low blow no matter how you looked at it. “You would rather send them to their deaths then? Rather than let them live in blissful ignorance you would see them dead?” he snapped. 

Cas gave a heavy sigh. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps there is no easy answer. Perhaps the way I suggested isn’t the best way, but I still say we can’t do nothing. ‘I’ can’t do nothing.”

Loki reigned in his temper. “I will have no part of this. I will not bring war to heaven. I will not bring death to my brothers and sisters. If you can find another way I will hear you out, but that is all I will promise.”

“Then I will think on another way,” Cas said with a note of finality signifying that he would accept Loki’s stance and try to work within the boundaries he laid out, and the change of subject was fluid as they continued walking around the grounds and catching up on their lives for a few more hours before they headed back in to find the others. 

Cas and Loki joined Sam and Thor in the game room to find them in the middle of a round of puslespill, a game which was somewhat of a cross between war strategy, trivia challenge, and logic puzzles. Loki noticed that Thor was playing with Sam on the lowest level and it wasn’t nearly as one-sided as he would have thought. Granted Sam was understandably weak with the trivia, but strategy and logic were his strong points. Loki apparently hadn’t realized just how strong. Cas and Loki watched as they finished the round with much kibitzing and cheers and jeers and once the round was over they signaled the end of the game. 

Sam was surprised when a sheet of parchment appeared over his display, but his look of surprise was nothing compared the Thor’s when the same thing happened to him. Loki nearly fell over laughing at the look on his brother’s face. “Looks like you still have something to learn after all,” he gasped out between guffaws. 

“What…” Sam asked confused and Loki managed to bring himself under control long enough to explain. 

“Dad’s idea. He said there was no point in playing if there was no way to get better so the game analyzes your play and then suggests books to read to improve. You know how dad loves his books,” Loki said with another chuckle sidling over to Thor to read over his shoulder. “Unpredictable strategies and how to cope with them. Yep. Sounds about right.”

Thor shoved him playfully. “I haven’t seen that title since the last time I played you, pipsqueak,” he grumbled. 

“And after all that time you still haven’t learned,” Loki teased shaking his head at his brother. 

“They’re called unpredictable for a reason, brat.”

“Sure, sure,” he said placatingly patting Thor’s shoulder. Before their banter could go any further, Dean suddenly appeared in flames in the middle of the room. Sam rolled his eyes and sent a spray of water to put him out, followed by a wind blast from Thor and a finger snap from Loki to right his clothes. “You have really gotta get a handle on that Styrk.”

“It’s not my fault fire is so…flammable,” Dean said petulantly before he couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. 

“Hey! Now that we’re all together and have time, why don’t we hit the fairgrounds?” Thor suggested excitedly. 

“Ooh yeah. Come on Cassie. You can play too. You can get through the obstacles with angel powers. It just needs a little more ingenuity,” Loki agreed and was determined to include Cas this time.


	7. Chapter 7

The five of them showed up at the fairgrounds and walked up to the person running the back section that had eight concurrent courses. The young woman bowed deeply seeing the princes in front of her. “What can I do for you today, my lords?” she asked in a bit of awe. She didn’t often get to see royalty after all. 

“My two youngest brothers here are rather new to their powers and would much prefer if we didn’t have an audience while learn to run the courses and use them better. Would it be possible to close this section of the park for a little while…Marta?” Thor asked charmingly as he made a show of looking at her nametag. 

“Oh! Of course, my lord! I’ll see to it right away!” she exclaimed as she looked like she was about to fall over and it definitely didn’t help when Thor took her hand and kissed it as he thanked her for the trouble. As she rushed off, presumably to get her boss to do as Thor had asked, Loki rolled his eyes. 

Loki couldn’t deny that Thor’s approach was effective because it wasn’t five minutes later before walls sprung up behind them, separating that section of the park from the hustle and bustle outside. “You didn’t have to sweep her off her feet you know,” Loki said with a chuckle. “You realize you have a new admirer, right? I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up at the castle soon.”

Thor laughed. “Dad would see right through her. He wouldn’t give her a job at the castle without my permission if she’s only using it to get close to me and he won’t get it. She’s a little young for me.”

“She didn’t look much younger than you,” Dean said curiously. 

“Looks don’t mean much when it comes to immortals. You can tell by the way she acts and the way she carries herself that she is far closer to the age she looks than most. That and most of the people who work here are the younger crowd, still trying to find their path. Young doesn’t always mean in age either. Experience, maturity, drive. That’s what immortals consider when deciding whether someone is young or not.”

“That makes sense,” Sam said. Until that last part, he was concerned about how people saw his relationship with Loki. 

They spent the next few hours going through the courses again and again. They went through as teams the first few times. Sam and Loki on one team and Thor, Dean, and Cas on the other. By the time the three newcomers had a good idea of what to do, they split up and went singles. Of course, Thor and Loki always beat the other three by a wide margin, though they were about even for wins between the two of them. The other three were pretty even for third place wins between them too. The tasks were stacked against Cas with only angelic powers to pull from, but he had more experience in using his powers to get out of tight spots so it balanced out. Of course the ability to teleport, or fly in Cas and Loki’s case was disabled once you entered the course, otherwise it would be far too easy to cheat. By the time they left, the margin of victory was somewhat smaller between the newbies and the veterans and Thor and Loki assured them that they would be about average for those that normally frequent these places, so they agreed that next time they wouldn’t inconvenience anyone by shutting down a whole section of the park. 

Rather than leave the park altogether, they decided to walk around, showing others the sights, and the different games and foods and wares. It was very much like a human fair except far grander and with a gratuitous display of powers everywhere you looked. While much of it seemed like the obstacle courses where it would help you train your powers, much of it was also just for fun, and even the places more geared for training was done in the form of games that were fun for all ages. They noticed just as many children running around as adults. Most people gave them a respectful berth without being cold and distant. Thor and Loki were genial and friendly, giving warm smiles and nods to anyone who made eye contact. Cas was mostly uncomfortable and noticed the looks he was getting that weren’t quite hostile, but didn’t really know what to make of him either. He suspected it would be far different if he weren’t in the company of their princes. 

Loki noticed the discomfort and the looks and slung an arm over Cas’ shoulders. “Don’t worry Cassie. They’ll get used to seeing you around soon enough.” He gave him a squeeze and let go, knowing that gesture made a big difference and word would quickly spread around the park. 

Dean just increased the talk, that exchange having brought his attention to the issue as well, when he slipped his arm around Cas’ waist and pressed a kiss to the angel’s temple. “They’re just not used to seeing such a good-looking angel around is all,” he quipped causing the others to laugh. That was all it took for the word to spread that the angel was in a relationship with one of the princes and that the others liked him too and the stares stopped. 

A little while later there was a bit of a situation when a running laughing child barreled right into Thor’s legs, bounced off and hit the ground. When he looked up and saw who he ran into his eyes went wide and he started crab-walking away. “I’m so sorry, my prince. It…it was an accident.” He looked near tears. Loki held Sam back from interfering. It would be best if Thor fixed this himself and he wasted no time doing so. He smiled brightly at the little boy and dropped to a knee reaching out to pick him up and set him back on his feet. “There’s no need to be sorry little one. What’s your name?” 

“A-Agnarr,” the boy stuttered. 

“That’s a good strong name. Fit for a warrior. I’m Thor,” he said cheerfully. 

About that time a woman ran up behind Agnarr. “I’m sorry, my prince. He meant no harm,” she said frantically as if she were expecting her or the child to be flogged any second. 

“Please, dear lady. There is no need for an apology. He is a child playing in a place designed for children to play. These things happen. I was paying no more attention to my surroundings than he was,” he said ruffling the boys hair with a grin. 

The boy grinned back, finally realizing that he wasn’t in trouble and feeling proud that the prince actually noticed him and spoke to him. The woman was still nervous though. “Thank you, my lord,” she said quickly leading the child away. Agnarr turned and waved at Thor as they walked off. 

Once they were out of sight Thor’s face dropped into a disturbed frown. “I had not realized how unapproachable I must seem. To think that they feared being punished for a simple act of childish inattention. Do I really seem like that to others little brother?” he asked Loki, distress shining in his eyes.

“I think it’s more a matter of not knowing what to expect at all,” Loki tried to soothe him. He too found it disturbing. Especially that the woman had looked at the rest of them with just as much fear. “They hear stories of the great warrior Thor striking down his enemies without mercy and you are so rarely here and when you are it’s usually for a trial where a criminal is punished. I am just as guilty as you are. We spend so little time around the people that they don’t know us.”

“We need to get out more,” Thor said firmly. “We need to come here or similar places at least once a week, even when we go back to our other homes. I don’t want anyone to be frightened of me.”

They were brought back to how public their conversation was when he felt a tug on his tunic. He looked down to see a little girl in a pretty yellow dress. “I’m not afraid of you Prince Thor,” she said sweetly. 

Thor looked down and another warm grin lit his face as he once again took a knee so he could look the little blonde girl in the eyes. “I’m very glad to hear that. What’s your name little one?” 

“Gyda,” she said proudly. 

“That’s a beautiful name, Gyda. These are my brothers Loki, Hjert, and Styrk, and this is Castiel.”

“Well met,” she said with a cute little curtsy only to turn and look behind her at the sound of her name. “I have to go. Mommy’s calling me. Bye Prince Thor. Bye other princes,” she said as she leaned forward and kissed Thor on the cheek before turning and running off.

Thor got up with a chuckle which turned into a full blown laugh when Dean shoved him and said, “Sap.” Thor reached over and pulled Dean into a headlock and the whole group was laughing at his predicament before they all disappeared back to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm spending a whole lot of time in Asgard with the whole gang, but I'm just having so much fun with it. I'll try to move it along in the next few chapters and get back to the real world.


	8. Chapter 8

Once they got back to the castle, Loki dragged Sam away and Dean dragged Cas away, leaving Thor standing there alone and he gave a heavy sigh as he started to walk towards the library. It wasn’t often he was lonely, but seeing all his brothers with their soulmates made him wish he had that too. He knew the fact that they all had found their soulmates was a million to one chance. Hell, his father was nearly as old as humanity itself and he had never found a soulmate. So few do. It was just his luck that he had to watch all three of his brothers, soon to be four brothers, happy with their mates and he was still alone. There was nothing for it though. Maybe with him getting out more, he might meet someone. 

 

Once they were ensconced in their bedroom, Loki pulled Sam over to the bed and pushed him down on it, climbing up next to him and kissing him deeply. Sam enthusiastically returned the kiss and Loki pulled back. “I know the last few days have been crazy and we’ve had no time together, but how are you my beautiful Hjert?”

Sam smiled warmly at Loki as he said, “I’m good Lo. It’s all a little overwhelming at times, but I’m good. I’m…having fun. Really.”

“I’ve missed you, Samshine. I’ve missed this,” Loki said kissing him again. 

“Mmm. Me too. Like you said. Things have been crazy. I know you’ve not been neglecting me on purpose,” Sam said with a slight mischievous glint in his eye. 

“Neglecting you hmm? You think I’ve been neglecting you? I guess I better make up for it quick before you move on to someone who better keeps up with your needs shouldn’t I,” Loki said seductively as he captured Sam’s lips in a passionate kiss and shifted on top of the hunter. “Is this better my needy little Hjert?” he teased as his lips moved over Sam’s jaw and towards his neck. 

“Mmm. Getting warmer,” Sam teased back as he slid his hands up under the back of Loki’s tunic. 

“Warmer huh?” Loki said as he undid the tie at the front of Sam’s tunic and spread it wide, running his hand over the toned chest and abs beneath. 

“Mmm. Much warmer,” Sam murmured as he slid Loki’s tunic off his shoulders and lifted up so Loki could remove his the rest of the way. Loki kissed his way down Sam’s chest as his hand reached down to untie his breeches. “Mmm hot. Very very hot,” Sam said with a moan as Loki’s hand brushed against his hard length. 

“Yes, you are,” Loki said before taking Sam in his mouth and neither of them had the ability to speak anymore. Loki was still sucking as he slid Sam’s pants down and Sam kicked them off before Loki slid a lubed finger past Sam’s tight muscles and went immediately for the sweet spot. Loki prepped him quickly before lining himself up and pressing a slow sweet kiss to the hunters lips as he slid in slowly. “Mmm Sammy. Love you. So much.”

“Love you, Gabe,” Sam panted as he lifted his hips in time with Loki’s slow thrusts. They took their time and made love slowly, long into the night, and didn’t emerge from their rooms until the next morning, despite the fact that they didn’t need to sleep. 

“I think I want to check out the library some more,” Sam said as they got ready to start their day. 

“Okay, I’ll go track down Thor and try and rope him into some games. Come find me if you get bored,” he said cheerfully, kissing Sam again before he disappeared to hunt down his errant brother. 

No sooner than Sam appeared in a flash of ice in the library, he heard a low chuckle and turned to look as Odin brushed some ice chips out of his hair. “Sorry,” Sam said sheepishly. 

“No worries, my boy. You’ll get better at that with more practice. I’m a water element myself and I remember well spraying ice everywhere every time I travelled. At least I didn’t set myself on fire though like Frigg did,” he said laughing at the memories. 

“Yeah. Dean does that,” Sam said laughing along with him. “We’ve got a pretty good system going now though. I spray him and put him out. Thor dries him off and Loki fixes his clothes.”

“Yes, having others around does come in handy,” Odin said cheerfully. “Oh. Before I forget. Here is the weekly court schedule. I wasn’t sure if you would want one or not, but you are always welcome. I don’t bother giving Loki his anymore. If he amazingly decides to participate he’ll just hunt down Thor and come with him.”

“Thanks…dad. I appreciate it. I’m not sure what I want to do yet, but I’m sure I’ll sit in for at least some of it.”

“Yes. I imagined you would. I see a lot of me in you. You have the same insatiable curiosity. Never lose that, child.”

“I’ll try,” Sam said warmly and when Odin went back to his book, Sam disappeared among the shelves. He knew he could just ask for anything in particular, but he just wanted to browse at the moment and get a feel for the layout and organization. 

Sam looked over the schedule and noticed there weren’t any court events until the next day, so he had a little time to decide. He and Odin spent most of the morning reading, with some light conversation interspersed, usually when Sam had a question about something he read. He was glad that Odin wasn’t the type to be annoyed when he was interrupted while reading and was always happy to answer questions or even ask them to get Sam to think about a subject in a different way. Sam was sure that if Odin wasn’t a king he would be a teacher. He would definitely be good at it. 

It was a few hours after Odin left to get some paperwork done that Thor walked in mumbling under his breath. Sam looked up and raised an eyebrow in question. “I’m finally getting the stupid book,” he said with a sigh and disappeared in the shelves only to return with the unpredictable strategies book. Sam laughed, realizing that Loki must have beat him again and he was once again prompted to get that book. 

Thor looked undecided for a minute about whether or not he should sit down so Sam decided to take a minute to ask him something he wasn’t completely comfortable asking Odin about. “So Father says you usually go to the court events when you’re here?” 

Thor took the conversation as an invitation to sit down. “Yeah, most of the time. Loki’s never really had much interest in it and I know dad’s going to want to retire someday, so someone needs to know how these things work.”

“That’s probably a good idea. I’d like to give it a shot, but…um…how does it work? I mean where do we sit? Do we kneel when we go in? Are we allowed to speak?”

“Easy there, baby brother. One question at a time. We will go in with him, so we don’t kneel, nor do we sit. We stand behind and beside him on either side of the throne. We can speak when he asks for an open discussion or when he asks us directly for our opinion, which he will do more often than not. If you’re not comfortable giving it in front of the whole court, especially the first time, just let him know beforehand and he won’t ask. You’ll want to wear your formal clothing, but not the full dress armor, unless it’s requested ahead of time, which is rarely. That’s usually reserved for royal weddings and balls. If you think of a topic that you want to bring up that shouldn’t wait until the next session just tap him on the shoulder and he’ll make time for it as soon as he can. I would suggest waiting a while for that though if possible so you can get a feel for the types of issues that are brought before the full council. If in doubt ask me during a recess. We have one of those every two hours if it’s a long session and if you’re going to come in late or leave early, do it during a recess not while court is in session. Any other questions I didn’t think of?” he asked with a smirk. 

“Is it a bad thing if I come and go during a recess?” Sam asked. 

“Not at all. That is the main reason for the recess. Sometimes the court will have pressing matters to attend to and not be able to attend the full session.”

“Do they have to have a quorum or something?” Sam aske curiously.

“Not exactly. They don’t really have any power exactly. They are essentially advisors. If they aren’t there then they can’t complain that they didn’t get a say in the issue, though if too many can’t make it, dad will usually reschedule anyway as a courtesy. The only power they actually have is that if the decision is unanimous among them they can override any of his decisions and if anyone is missing when that vote is called they are summoned back for an emergency session. It’s only happened once before.”

“Really? What about?” Sam asked interestedly. 

“Dad wanted to open up the lower levels of the castle to the public. Basically, everything except the living areas and the private studies. He thought it would make us more approachable to the people. The council disagreed. They thought that while the majority of the people that would take advantage of it would be fine, it would invite looting and assassination attempts and even cause general chaos. They overruled his decision, but offered a compromise. Once a month there is a two day open session in the throne room when anyone can come in and speak with him about any issues they may have and also once a month, in the middle between these sessions, people can sign up for a guided tour of the lower levels of the castle to assuage their curiosity. We are usually asked to be visible during that when we are here, but we can just go about our day normally, other than greeting them when we happen upon them of course.”

“Yeah. I can see both sides of that issue. It would be nice to be more approachable, and let people see the inner workings, but just letting people waltz in and out as they want is kinda asking for trouble,” Sam said. 

“Things were different in those days. This was a long time ago. Not like it is now for humans where the idea of strangers in your home would be frightening, but the biggest issue was that once it was started it would be hard to stop when times changed.”

“That’s true too. I kinda like the compromise though. It seems…fitting.”

“So, you gonna come with me tomorrow?” Thor asked hopefully. It would be nice to have a brother by his side. 

“Yeah, sure. I’ll give it a shot.” 

“Great. I’ll meet you outside your rooms half an hour before it starts and show you to the right anteroom.” Sam nodded and Thor got up. “Well I should go read my book before my annoying little brother beats me again.”

Sam chuckled as he was once again left alone in the library.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the next few weeks they relaxed into a nice routine. Sam and Thor attended most of the court sessions which were held twice a week in eight hour sessions with a ten-minute recess every two hours and Sam found it fascinating. It took a few sessions before Sam was comfortable speaking his mind, but found that when he did people actually listened to him. They didn’t always agree with him, but they listened just as much as they did to Thor. He wasn’t treated like he shouldn’t be there or like his opinion didn’t count because he was so new. 

On two other days a week, the whole group of five would spend at least half a day at the fairgrounds, mingling with people who were slowly losing their trepidation over approaching them. The children were the easiest to reach and would regularly call out ‘Hi Prince Thor!’ or ‘Hi Price Loki!’ or Hjert or Styrk. Cas was ‘Mr. Castiel’ to the kids. It was actually Gyda who started that trend. Most of the adults still tried to keep a respectful distance, but the kids had no such reservations. 

Evenings and nights were spent as couples and the other three days were spent in varying configurations of groups doing a variety of activities. At least one of those days, Sam always had set aside to spend in the library, often joined by Cas who was a bit of a bookworm himself and Odin. Sometimes debates would spring up randomly among them and they all got a great deal of enjoyment out of the process. Cas had been floored to learn that the pagans came from Nephilim and suddenly was looking at them with fresh eyes. 

They all knew they couldn’t hide out in Asgard forever. They had lives to get back to. People that were likely missing them and maybe even getting worried. It was almost a month after they arrived when Cas was the one to bring up leaving, in a round-a-bout way at least. He sought out Gabriel and they went for a walk. “I have been thinking about the issues with heaven and I believe I have a solution that meets your criteria.”

“I’m listening,” Gabriel said encouragingly. 

“If it would be possibly for you to create another dimension, one where we could hide out and create a community. We could leave heaven in peace with those who would not wish to join us and be safe from any retaliation. We could take care of any building and the environment inside the dimension, but only an archangel can create a whole new dimension for use.”

“You would still be putting yourself at risk to gather others,” Gabriel pointed out. 

“It is a risk worth taking. There are many who are not cut out to be soldiers. Who, like Anael, just want a loving home. They don’t dare speak of it, but many have fallen in the past for such reasons and there are many that I can be certain will do so in the future if no other option presents itself.”

“All right. I will create your dimension. You will be mostly hidden wherever you go since you’re no longer in heaven’s service, but mine, however, anyone who sees you will know. They just won’t be able to track you. You know if you are captured you will be out of our reach. We won’t be able to save you if they take you back to heaven.”

“I understand, brother. I will be careful.”

Gabriel pulled him into a hug. “You better. I don’t want to lose you again.”

They made their way back to the group and decided to leave that night. They spent the rest of the day as a family; Sam, Dean, Cas, Loki, Thor, and Odin. They made plans with Thor to meet up at the fairgrounds every Saturday afternoon, baring emergencies, and Odin would continue sending Sam weekly schedules so that whenever he had the time or the desire to join session he could do so. He also made it clear that they were all welcome at any time, even if just to pop in and raid the library. 

They popped back to the house where Sam and Gabriel had been living to find a frantic Anael. They had forgotten that since they left their cell phones there still hooked up that time would pass normally for her. She also quickly informed them that someone named Bobby had called multiple times looking for them. Gabriel and Cas gave Anael a quick rundown of the last month while Sam went to call Bobby. He and Dean went to the other room so they could put it on speakerphone without disturbing the angels’ conversation. 

“Where the hell have you idjits been?” Bobby said as he answered the phone, without even a hello or anything. 

“Asgard,” Sam said bluntly. 

“You…but…how…damnit boy! Warn a body ‘fore you disappear like that!”

“Sorry Bobby. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing and we didn’t think we’d be gone that long.”

“Well what the hell were you doing in Asgard of all the damn fool places to go.”

“It’d be easier to explain in person. Are you at home? Mind if we stop by?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah I’m home. How far out are you?” 

“Just…keep an open mind please, Bobby,” Sam warned him before he and Dean both disappeared in fire and ice.

When they reappeared in Bobby’s house they found a shotgun aimed at them. Dean had gotten a lot better at not setting himself on fire when traveling but when he was distracted he still had a tendency to lose control a bit and having a gun in his face was a good distraction so Sam had to take a moment to put him out, but without Thor or Gabriel around he was left wet and singed and he sighed heavily about the time the shotgun started beating them over the heads. “What the hell did you idjits do!?”

That was about the best kneejerk response they could hope for from Bobby so they accepted it with mostly good grace and only put up a token protest as Dean said, “Ow Bobby. Come on. Just hear us out wouldja?”

“It better be a damn good story,” Bobby said as he finally stopped his assault and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. 

“Well we told you we were trying to stop the apocalypse, but no matter what we did it was just buying time. There was no way to get the angels off our trails for good because even if we disguised ourselves they could recognize us by our souls,” Sam started. 

Dean took over. “There’s no way to disguise a soul normally, but if we took on a pagan aspect, it would make our souls unrecognizable on sight.”

“It doesn’t hurt anything,” Sam said quickly before Bobby could jump to conclusions. “It just weaves the pagan side through the existing soul so there are now two aspects that the angels can’t see separately. They will look at us and just see pagan.”

“And you idjits thought becoming monsters was a good way out?” the old man snapped. 

“We’re not monsters,” Dean snapped back. 

“Dean!” Sam said to shut him up. 

“There’s a lot that humans don’t know about pagans. Don’t think we jumped into this without doing our homework,” Sam said evenly. “For example, did you know there are millions of pagans? There are about 40 humans to ever pagan if you want a ratio. If they were monsters, they could easily take over the world and enslave the human race.”

Bobby narrowed his eyes and looked at them suspiciously, but didn’t speak so Sam continued. “There are the occasional pagans that go rogue. Those are the ones you’re thinking of and the pagan community hates them just as much as we do. In fact, while we were there a rogue was caught killing humans and was tried and stripped of her powers as a result. Back in the old days, the pagans had a symbiotic relationship with humans. Pagans got power from the worship of the humans and they used some of that power to help them, like give them good crops, good health, warn them of dangerous weather, protect their children and so on. When people stopped believing they started losing power. Most of them have adjusted to the lower power levels, but some can’t take it, like Vesta. She’s the one that was caught while we were there. She wanted more power and since she couldn’t get it through worship she got it through blood which has always been forbidden.”

“There is a lot of lore about blood rituals from the pagan days,” Bobby said skeptically. 

“There were some rituals, usually in times of war or natural disasters when the gods needed more power to protect the people, that small amounts of blood could be used from willing participants, like a finger prick or a shallow cut, to give them a power boost, but enough blood to cause serious harm or death, or taking blood from someone unwilling was a crime even back then. Now all blood is outlawed because of the dangers of misuse with the low power levels,” Sam explained. 

“So if you find a pagan hurting people?” Bobby asked pointedly. 

“We will take them before Odin for judgement,” Dean said. 

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” 

“Unless there are extenuating circumstances, like if they had to hurt someone to protect someone else or something the punishment is always the same. Their powers are stripped.”

“And if they argue their way out of it?” he asked. He knew how courts worked. 

“Can’t happen. They use other loyal gods to compel the truth and the trials are public so if they are guilty they can’t not confess and if they are let off anyway the people would riot. And so would we,” Dean said pointedly. 

Bobby finally relaxed enough to sit down and put the gun down. “So you’re…what…gods now?” They both nodded. “The God Sam and The God Dean?” he asked with a snort. 

“Hjert and Styrk actually. When Odin adopted us he gave us Norse names, but we’ll answer to either.”

“Hjert and Styrk? What do they mean?” Bobby asked curiously. He was a loremaster after all. Probably thinking of writing a book about all this even. 

“Hjert is heart and Styrk is strength,” Sam told him. 

“So, you’re Hjert,” he guessed pointing at Sam, “and you’re Styrk,” he said pointing at Dean getting nods from both of them. “So, when you say he adopted you…”

“He adopted us as his sons. We call him father, or dad. But then he’s my father in law anyway,” Sam said with a shrug. 

“And he’s the king of Asgard?” Two nods. “So you’re princes?” 

“Yeah and let me tell you that took some getting used to,” Dean said with a chuckle. 

“You should have seen our introduction to the kingdom. Full ceremonial armor, standing on a balcony above hundreds of thousands of people. I thought I was gonna wet myself,” Sam added. 

“So this Odin. He’s a good guy?” Bobby asked skeptically. 

“The best,” Sam said getting a nod from Dean.

“I want to meet him.”


	10. Chapter 10

No sooner than Bobby said that there was suddenly another person in the room and Bobby’s shotgun was in hand again, not that he was paid the slightest bit of attention. “What do you morons think you’re doing? You’re pagans now. You can’t just go waltzing into a hunter’s house in these times without protection or at least telling someone where you’re going! Are you suicidal or something!”

Bobby had heard a great deal about Loki though he had yet to meet him. Judging by the fact that his anger was obviously worry for the boys he lowered the weapon but didn’t put it down just yet. “I wouldn’t hurt them. Not without hearing them out at least which I’ve done and I can tell you they aren’t in any danger from me,” Bobby said offended. 

“That’s all well and good, but it was still an unnecessary risk. Not to mention, you might have had other hunters here that weren’t so open minded,” he told the prickly hunter before turning back to Sam and Dean. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t have come at all. I’m just saying you should have taken some basic precautions or at the very least told someone where you would be.”

“I hate to say it, but I agree with him…Loki I presume?” Loki nodded. “It was rather reckless to just come in here blind. What if I hadn’t been so easily talked down? Hell, at least you could have shown up like normal people and broke the news gently rather than just appearing and proving that you were different before explaining anything.”

“Finally! Someone with sense,” Loki said theatrically. “And you set yourself on fire again idiot,” he said with a snort as he snapped his fingers and dried Dean off and fixed his clothes. 

“I’m getting better,” Dean grumbled. 

“He wants to meet Father,” Sam said trying to change the subject before they started snarking at each other. 

Loki raised an eyebrow and looked suspiciously at the hunter. “With or without the stake?” 

“Without, obviously. The boys have told me a lot of stuff and I want to get a look for myself,” Bobby told him. 

“He won’t take anyone else into the family. The only reason he took them is because of the whole apocalypse thing. There isn’t enough power to go around as it is without bringing others in,” Loki said pointedly. 

“I don’t want to be a damn pagan. I just want to make sure the situation is on the up and make sure my boys are taken care of,” Bobby said heatedly. 

“Well in that case…” he turned to Sam. “You would know dad’s schedule better than me. If he’s free go ahead and take him, but at least have the good sense to search him for stakes first. Putting your own lives at risk is bad enough. All of Asgard is unforgivable.”

Sam winced at that but knew that Gabriel had a point. No matter how much they might trust Bobby’s intentions, they had to be certain. When he looked at Bobby he was surprised to find that he looked accepting of the fact. “I’m trusting you boys just as much as you trusted me. You let me get killed I’ll haunt your asses until the end of time.”

“I’ll head back to the house and let Cassie and Ana know to stand down. I’ll see you at home later?”

“Absolutely. If we get delayed I’ll let you know,” Sam promised as he leaned down for a kiss. 

Once Gabriel was gone they began to search Bobby. They let him keep his gun and knife, knowing that they couldn’t hurt anyone in Asgard and a hunter without weapons was practically naked. They made sure there wasn’t so much of a sliver of wood on him though. He was a good sport about it. Said that if they were really princes they had to protect all the people even if the job sucked. 

Once they were ready to go, Bobby took a step towards Sam and looked at Dean. “I ain’t riding with you.” Sam busted a gut laughing while Dean just grumbled about the unfairness of ending up with the hard to control fire element. 

Sam gave last minute instructions to Bobby before they left. “Remember he’s still a king and expects and deserves respect. When we go in, stay a step behind us and kneel when we do and don’t get up until he tells you to. He won’t make you kneel long. He doesn’t want people groveling, just to know that they’re willing to pay him the respect he’s due. Don’t lie or try to beat around the bush. He likes blunt honestly, though tact is always helpful.” Sam remembered well being on the other side of this conversation. 

“Kneel before the king, don’t lie. Got it,” Bobby said a little annoyed about the kneeling thing, but when in Rome. 

“Don’t worry. Once the formalities are out of the way we can all relax and be normal,” Dean assured him. 

Bobby looked at him skeptically. He wasn’t entirely sure about this whole venture at all, but he would trust his boys to keep him safe, go in there with his eyes open, and be on the lookout for any funny business.

Sam took his arm and the appeared in the entrance hall, followed by Dean a second later who managed to not set himself on fire this time. Bobby gave a residual shiver after traveling in ice even while his eyes calculated every possible danger in the room. Sam stepped up to the desk. “Hey Mattie. Can you let my father know we’d like a private audience when he has some time?” 

“Of course, Prince Hjert,” she said with a nod before writing something on a piece of parchment and waving her hand causing it to disappear. After a pause she said, “He will be available in ten minutes.”

“Thanks Mattie,” Sam said as he went to find a seat with Dean and a rather jittery Bobby. Sam and Dean greeted a few other people who were coming in and out while they waited but Bobby didn’t say a word as his sharp old eyes catalogued everything. 

“Prince Hjert, Prince Styrk, your father will see you and your guest now,” Mattie called over after the ten minutes was up. 

“Thank you, Mattie,” Dean was the one to say this time. 

They headed through the doors to the throne room, Bobby staying a step behind Sam and Dean as instructed and when they reached the front they all knelt. “Hjert. Styrk. Rise my sons.” Once they were standing he said. “I didn’t expect you back so soon. Is everything well?” 

“Yes, Father,” Sam said. “There is someone who wanted to meet you after we explained the last month.”

“I see. Your companion may rise and you may introduce us,” 

“Father, this is Bobby Singer. Bobby, this is Odin,” Dean said. 

“Bobby Singer? The one who is like a second father to you?” Odin asked for clarification. 

“The one and only,” Dean quipped. 

“What brings you before me, Bobby Singer?” Odin asked. 

“I want to make sure my boys are in good hands and aren’t being played for fools or taken advantage of,” Bobby said gruffly. 

“Bobby!” Sam said scandalized. 

“Peace, Hjert. He is a father looking out for his sons. It is an admirable goal,” Odin waved him off. “Shall we take this conversation somewhere more comfortable since it is not a business matter to be discussed? Perhaps the library?” he suggested. 

“That’d be great dad,” Dean said cheerfully noticing the change from formal to relaxed. 

Odin forced himself not to betray his nerves at having a hunter at his back. Only the fact that his sons were there as well had him allowing it at all as he led them to the library. “Thor hasn’t left yet if you boys want to go find him.”

“I’d rather they didn’t,” Bobby said shortly. 

“Of course,” Odin nodded in deference. If the hunter wanted to have buffers for this conversation, then he had no issues with it. 

Odin and Bobby sat but before Sam and Dean could take their seats the library doors opened again. “Father I found…” Thor stopped short. “Hjert! Styrk! You’re back!” He said picking them up in bear hugs as he’d taken to doing when he realized that it annoyed them. “Who’s the old guy?” Odin cleared his throat pointedly. “Er…the human,” he corrected sheepishly. 

“This is Bobby Singer,” Sam introduced. 

“The hunter Bobby Singer?” Thor’s eyes widened before he stepped in front of his father defensively. “Is he safe?” 

Bobby was wondering the same thing at that point, but he was sure this other god meant it differently. “Peace Thor. Do you really think your brothers would bring him here if he meant us harm?”

“Of course. Sorry,” he said sheepishly and relaxed. “So, since you’re back, they put the new strong man booth up at the fairgrounds this morning. You wanna give it a go Styrk?”

“Sorry Thor. Gotta stick here for the moment,” Dean said regretfully. 

“How come?” Thor asked curiously. 

“Because he’s as scared of you as you are of him,” Sam said with an amused snort. 

“I’m not scared. I’m just…nervous,” Thor said defensively. 

“What he said,” Bobby chimed in. 

Thor took a seat next to Odin, making a clear he was sticking around for this too. He may trust his brothers, but he wasn’t quite as willing to trust a strange hunter with his father’s life. Odin resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he brought the conversation back on track. “I assume you have questions.”

What followed was a quick fire question and answer that was basically Bobby confirming everything that Sam and Dean had already told him and getting more details besides. Sam and Dean both had to resist the urge to bang their heads on the wall when Bobby ended it with, “And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?” 

“Is their word not enough for you?” Odin asked motioning to Sam and Dean. 

“Not when they’re in this deep,” Bobby said bluntly. 

Odin thought for a moment before he looked at his three sons in the room. “If you can ensure that no one comes to any harm, including the hunter, perhaps you can take him out and show him the fairgrounds and the village. Let him see with his own eyes that we are a peaceful people.”

“You want me to go out there with whole hosts of pagans?” Bobby asked incredulously. 

“It’ll be okay Bobby. No one would dare try to harm you if you’re with the princes and you want proof, this is the way to get it. It’s that or take our word for it,” Dean told him. 

“Fine, but I meant what I said. You let me get killed I’m haunting you for eternity,” he said gruffly. 

“And just so we’re clear, Mr. Singer. When my father tells me not to let anyone be harmed, I consider that to mean more than just physically. You will not mistreat any of my people either or you will be leaving immediately,” Thor said warningly. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Bobby said started to doubt his wisdom in this whole thing. Thor grabbed Bobby before Sam could so Sam and Dean followed quickly so that Bobby wasn’t alone with Thor for more than half a second. Thankfully they got there in time to see Bobby’s jaw drop when he got his first look at the fairgrounds. They walked through with Thor in front and Sam and Dean to either side and slightly behind Bobby.


	11. Chapter 11

If they thought there were stares when Cas was here with them, it was nothing on the stares and whispers they were getting now. Bobby could hear snatches of conversation as they were walking around. “The princes have brought a human?” “He doesn’t LOOK dangerous” “They never LOOK dangerous but that doesn’t mean they aren’t” was one of many similar whispered conversations that met his ears. 

Before he could really process the fact that these people were actually afraid of HIM, his attention was drawn by a small blonde missile running towards them. “Prince Thor! Prince Hjert! Prince Styrk!” she finished as she reached them, and Thor reached down to scoop her up off the ground, just to be on the safe side. “You have a human with you. Aren’t you afraid? He won’t hurt us will he?” she chattered. 

“Now Gyda. Do you really think I would let anyone hurt you?” Thor said much more confidently than he felt. 

“Uh-uh,” she said emphatically. 

“I think you’re making you mom nervous though so why don’t you run on back to her okay, little one?” 

“Kay. Bye Prince Thor!” she said kissing him on the cheek as he put her down. “Bye Prince Hjert. Bye Prince Styrk!” she called as she ran back. 

“Why are they so scared of me?” Bobby asked incredulously. 

“Most of these people, or their parents or grandparents, took refuge here as Christianity was spreading over the world. They saw the Christians hunting and slaughtering not just the pagan worshipers, but the gods as well. Then add in the rising tensions with hunters the last couple hundred years where they consider all of us evil based on the actions of a few renegades and would see us all dead if they had the chance and you can understand why they are afraid of humans,” Thor said tersely. 

“Then why aren’t they doing anything about it? I mean there are enough of them to easily overpower the three of you to get to me,” Bobby asked not sure exactly what to think about all this. 

“A few reasons. First of all, as we’ve tried to tell you. We are a peaceful people. None of them would attack without direct provocation. Even when I feared for my father I simply took a defensive stance while watching if you remember. Even if they would be tempted to lash out, there is still the fact that harming a human is against our highest laws, and while you being here is a bit of a grey area, they won’t take that risk without there being a direct threat to protect against. Third, we are their princes. They would never attempt to overpower us to get at someone we are either protecting or guarding depending on how they see it.”

They stopped at a few places to sample some food and drink before Bobby noticed a booth that was serving alcohol. He suggested that they go there and then asked for a shot of their strongest drink. The man laughed and looked at the princes for further instructions. “Give him a small cup of the weakest ale,” Dean said chuckling himself before he turned to Bobby. “This place caters to gods, Bobby. One drop of their strongest drink would knock a human out for a month.” He turned back to the guy at the booth. “I’ll take what he ordered though.” 

Both Sam and Thor declined. “Some of us need to stay sober for this,” Thor grumbled as much as he wished he could take the edge off too. 

One sip of the ale Bobby got had his eyes widening in shock as Dean knocked back his shot without hesitation. “Thanks, Hakon.” Dean said gratefully as they ushered the group on. 

“I think I’ve seen all I need to see. We can go back now,” Bobby told them, still sipping his ale. 

“Don’t you want to see us run the obstacle course real quick before we go back?” Dean asked. 

Thor couldn’t help but laugh. “I would love to see you try to run the obstacle course after a black meade, baby brother, but we should get back before we tempt fate any more than we already have. Hjert, why don’t you take Mr. Singer and I’ll take Styrk.”

“I can take myself, thank you very much,” Dean said swaying slightly. 

“Suit yourself,” Thor said with a shrug, vanishing in a lightning bolt back to the library. 

Sam rolled his eyes and took Bobby, ready to act when Dean got there and sure enough, Dean was on fire when he arrived. Sam sprayed him down and Thor dried him off while Odin laughed heartily. “I thought you had a handle on that already dear boy.”

“He had one of Hakon’s black meades while we were there,” Sam told him. 

“Ah that explains it. The perils of channeling fire,” Odin shook his head. 

“So, you control the elements?” Bobby asked curiously. Now that he accepted that they weren’t evil, he could let his researcher side come out. 

“Yeah. Styrk is fire, I’m water, Thor is air, Odin is water like me, Loki can actually control them all, but his real gift is in illusion and creation,” Sam explained. 

“As he likes to rub in only all the time,” Thor mumbled. 

Once they realized that Bobby wasn’t going to run out of questions, Odin cut him off and went deeper into the library. “I’ve made copies of most of these two books for you. There are a few chapters missing that contain sensitive information only known to us, but this one is on our history and this one is on our culture, including an outline of our powers and how they develop. I don’t expect to see this information being used against my people in the future,” he warned despite having removed anything that could be used against them anyway. 

“I’ll guard it carefully,” Bobby promised. “And if I get word of a god running amok, I’ll call the boys to bring it to you if possible,” he threw the old god a bone. 

“That would be appreciated, but if your people need to take care of it to save lives, there will be no hard feelings,” Odin assured him. 

Before anything else could be said there was yet another person coming into the library. He whispered in the king’s ear for a moment before handing him a slip of paper. Odin nodded at him and he left before turning to Dean. “Well Styrk. It seems your instincts regarding Vesta were well founded. Would you like to accompany me to hear the report?” 

“Do you mind?” he asked Bobby. 

“He can come as well. You can either sit in the visitor’s gallery with him or take your place at my side. Whichever you wish.” Dean and Sam offered to stick with Bobby, but Dean told Sam to head up to the throne with Odin and Thor. He knew that Sam would ask anything that he would have if needed and they couldn’t participate from the gallery. 

They headed back into the throne room and Dean took a seat with Bobby in the gallery while Sam and Thor stood behind and to either side of Odin’s throne. Bjorn came into the room and kneeled in front of Odin. “Rise Bjorn and report.” 

“My liege, I have been following the traitor Vesta as requested and approximately one hour ago, she attacked a young human woman, injuring her severely. I proceeded to heal the victim, created illusions and records of her being treated for the injuries in the hospital, and forwarded still photos and video of the attack to the human law enforcement. My assistant is keeping watch until she is apprehended or until I return to relieve him. Do you have any further orders?”

“The victim is fully healed?” Odin asked. 

“Yes, my lord. Her injuries were within my ability to heal.”

“And how are you faring Bjorn?” he asked gently. 

“I am…tired, my lord. It took a great deal of power to heal her,” he said as though embarrassed. 

“You have faith in your assistant to watch her in your absence?” 

“Yes, my lord.”

“Then go and rest, Bjorn. I thank you for your assistance.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

 

“What’s going on?” Bobby asked Dean in a whisper from the gallery. 

“I mentioned that Vesta lost her powers after going after humans? Well she was released as a human to attempt to make amends before her death. It didn’t go so well, apparently.”

“She’s not being brought back here?” Bobby asked confused. 

“Since she’s human now, she’s out of our jurisdiction. She’s subject to human law now. Even if she weren’t, we have no prisons. The only option would be execution and we don’t have the death penalty.”

“So, you just foist your problems off on us humans?” Bobby asked. 

“Apparently, it’s pretty rare that gods who have been stripped of their powers cause any problems once they are human. The only reason for them to go after humans in the first place was to get powers and once that isn’t an option anymore, they don’t see the point. I just had a feeling about her. She was a nasty piece of work.”

“I see,” Bobby said skeptically. 

“Actually, Odin knows of at least two that have used their knowledge and skills to become hunters once they became human,” Dean told him to prove a point.

“Any I know?” Bobby asked. 

“The last one was about eighty years ago that he knows of. Who knows if there have been more though. I’m not saying it makes what they did right, but if they take their punishment and try to make amends they should be left in peace to do so yeah?”

“Makes sense,” Bobby reluctantly agreed.


	12. Chapter 12

“Well we should probably be heading back pretty soon. You know how Lo worries,” Sam told Thor and Odin. 

“I am surprised that he didn’t come with you,” Odin said. 

“He’s helping Cas out with some kind of project,” Dean told him. 

“I see,” Odin said before turning to Bobby, making sure Sam and Dean were listening. “You will be welcome in the castle as long as you have either Hjert or Styrk to escort you at all times. Should you be caught here without an escort, you will wait in a cell for either one of them to be summoned and return you home and your permission will be revoked. This is for your safety as much as ours. Is this acceptable?” Odin asked. He had rather come to like Bobby over the course of the day and wouldn’t object to him being around from time to time. 

“A’ight. Fair enough,” Bobby said. “Don’t know how often I’ll actually come visit though.”

“While we taking the tour and all, you wanna see where we live?” Sam asked Bobby who shrugged and nodded. He turned to Dean. “So you gonna let me take you this time or you gonna set yourself on fire again?” Sam asked. He could tell that Dean was still feeling the black meade. 

“Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to travel in ice as a fire element?” Dean grumbled but held out his arm anyway. 

“Then don’t go getting tipsy when you know we’ll have to travel,” Sam quipped as the three of them disappeared. 

They reappeared in the spacious area between the living room and dining room to see Gabriel, Cas, and Ana bent over a large sheet of paper on the table. Sam and Dean walked over and wrapped their arms around their respective lovers while looking over their shoulders to see what they were doing. “What’s all that?” Dean asked.

“We’re designing a new dimension for any angels who want to go back to the old ways where they can stay hidden from the new regime,” Gabriel told them. 

“You can create whole dimensions?” Bobby asked incredulously as he glance over the plans nosily. “And when did this happen?” he gestured to Dean and Cas. 

“I think it’s time to let the old man in on the last of our secrets, don’t you Sammy?” Gabriel told him. He knew almost everything anyway and if he was taking it so well and was going to be part of the family, it wouldn’t be polite to keep secrets. 

“Only if he lets you put in a block to prevent telepathy from getting the information. Who knows if any angels will go looking for him to get to us,” Sam said. 

“You want me to let a trickster mess around in my head?” Bobby asked incredulously. 

“Angels, stronger demons, some older vampires, and some pagans, have the ability to read your mind and pull every bit of information you have from it. Including information about other hunters, any safe houses and so on. Most hunters aren’t gonna come into contact with these beings, but because of us, you might. It’s a good idea to let him put that telepathic block up anyway even if we don’t tell you our secret,” Sam said trying to convince him. He would like everything out in the open, but he wasn’t going to risk Gabriel for anything.

“This secret is that big?” Bobby asked with narrowed eyes. 

“Let’s just say the angels would hunt us to the ends of time and probably slaughter us if they found out,” Sam told him. 

“A’ight. Do your doohickey, but no funny business,” Bobby said threateningly to Loki. 

Loki grinned and walked over, placing his hand on Bobby’s forehead and a slight glow emanated from it before he stepped back. “There you go. Your mind is safe.” 

“An undamaged?” Bobby asked skeptically. 

“Not likely. You are a hunter after all,” Loki said with a chuckle. 

“Okay, unchanged then smartass,” Bobby grumbled. 

“Yep only thing I did is block telepathy. I’m a being of my word.”

“Ok so you should know that Loki was adopted by Odin too, just like we were,” Sam started. 

“I know that. At least according to the lore anyway. He was really the son of a giant...”

“I guess his real father is a bit of a ‘giant’ in the supernatural world,” Dean said with a chuckle at his own joke. 

Sam rolled his eyes. “Before he became Loki, he was Gabriel,” he ripped off the bandaid. 

“Gabriel. The archangel,” Bobby said wide-eyed. 

“Guilty,” Gabriel said with a lopsided smile and a shrug. 

“Why…how…” 

“Heaven started looking a little too much like hell so I did a runner. Had trouble hiding until Odin adopted me so I can bury my archangel side under my pagan side. Best choice I ever made,” Gabriel gave the short version. 

“O-Okay…and that?” he motioned to Dean and Cas. 

“Cas and I are soulmates just like Sam and Gabe. I had to wait for him to throw off the brainwashing of heaven before we could act on it though,” Dean explained. 

“I need another drink,” Bobby said pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me you have human booze here.”

“Right this way old man,” Gabriel said leading him through the door into the lounge. “The top two shelves aren’t for humans. The rest you can have at.” He could tell that man needed a few minutes alone to come to terms with everything that had been thrown at him today so he headed back out to the others finding Cas and Ana creating a list of angels they thought would prefer the new regime. 

It was a few minutes later before Dean came in and pulled a bottle off the top shelf and went to sit next to Bobby. “I get it you know,” he started. “I had just barely come back from hell, just caught a glimpse of the inside of my coffin as I opened my eyes before I was standing in the middle of the living room here. They threw the whole apocalypse and angels crap at me and followed it up with the whole ‘by the way I used to be an archangel’, so I know how you feel.”

“They? So, Sam knew?” Bobby asked. 

“Yeah. He knew since I made my deal…more or less. He and Gabe lived here outside of time for a few years in that year I was waiting for my deal to be up. They couldn’t tell me while there was a chance I could be tortured for the information in hell. I get it. I hate it, but I get it. Gabe is the biggest secret…well…ever. If the angels knew where he was or even that he was the slightest bit involved here, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill him and as his soulmate that would kill Sam too. Then of course me and Cas would go off to avenge our brothers and we’d end up just as dead.”

“I got it. Mums the word. You know though that while I may be cool with it, and I’m sure I can talk Ellen around which means Jo will be in your corner, the rest of the hunters out there are gonna be after you just as surely as they are any other monsters if they know. Plus, if you’re still planning to be out there as Sam and Dean Winchester don’t the angels know those names? How hard would it be to find you?” Bobby started naming all the problems he’d thought of so far. 

“I figure we can start going by Hjert and Styrk while hunting. We usually use aliases anyway and it’s not like anyone knows those names as pagans since we’re so new. We don’t exactly have a lot of contact with other hunters anyway and it’s not like we’re gonna be parading in front of them,” Dean told him. 

“Just…be careful out there. I know you’re a lot more resilient now, but you still have a pretty glaring weakness so don’t get cocky.”

Dean couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah okay, Bobby. I got it. Really. I won’t be stupid.”

“Good. Now go get your brother to take me home so I can start reading my new books,” Bobby said gruffly. 

 

Their lives settled into an easy routine after that. Sam, Dean, and Gabriel went back to Asgard a couple times a week. The Saturday fair visits with Thor, and they generally spent at least one day in the castle with their father. That’s not counting all the times Sam popped back and forth to raid the library of course. There were times that they were caught up in hunts or had other time sensitive things that they couldn’t leave, but those times were few and far between. When he had a chance, Sam also went back for the court sessions too. True to his word, when there was another goddess, Calliope, killing humans, he called Sam and Dean who delivered her to Odin before she was stripped of her powers and let loose as a human with an invisible guard. 

Meanwhile, Cas and Ana were rounding up the more sensitive of the angels for their community as it started to take shape. Gabriel had made sure to make the dimension bigger than they might need. It would be better to have too much space than not enough. Especially when it wasn’t a good idea to leave. Cas and Ana had modeled it after their early memories of heaven, before the utilitarian structures and uniformity. When it was free and happy. While Cas snuck back and forth to heaven to talk to those there, Ana was hunting for the ones that had already fallen. She wanted to attempt to reconnect them to their grace and bring them to the Sanctuary, as they called it. 

Bobby had gotten Ellen, as well as Jo on the pagan’s side, and they were slowly attempting to change hearts and minds among the hunters that came through the rebuilt roadhouse. It was going better than expected but not nearly as well as hoped. Every little bit helped though. Sam and Dean’s new status still stayed top secret though of course and not just because of the hunters but because of the angels too who had never stopped looking for them. Word had reached through the grapevine from time to time about it, but the only angels who ever knew anything about the hunters were Cas and Uriel and Uriel was dead. The angels had nowhere to even start. 

Everyone in on the secret knew that Sam and Dean were useless to the angels now. They couldn’t be used as vessels at all and they couldn’t even release Lucifer since demon blood was now poison to them and without it the last seal wouldn’t break. The apocalypse was well and truly over before it began. They still didn’t want to go broadcasting that though for fear that the angels would still try for revenge. No use in dangling bait when it’s not needed. If it came to the point where people were being hurt by keeping quiet they could take care of it then, but as long as the angels were just looking and asking questions there was no need to tell them anything. 

It was about two years after they had become pagans that the shit hit the fan. Sam, Gabriel and Dean were watching a movie in one of their rare downtimes when Ana suddenly arrived with another angel who looked near panic. They all jumped up wondering what was going on. None of them had ever brought another angel here. Only Cas and Ana knew where they were. They all froze at the words out of the new angel’s mouth. “Castiel is captured.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Sorry for the intrusion, but I thought it better for you to hear the story first-hand,” Ana said apologetically. She knew they had the rule no new angels in the house for a reason. 

“It’s fine. You’re right. What happened Samandriel?” Gabriel asked. 

The young angel’s eyes seemed to widen at the fact that this pagan knew his name, but he shook it off and got down to business. “Castiel was telling me about how heaven used to be and how there was a place where we could be like that again. He was about to take me there when a garrison showed up and attacked. He…he jumped in front of me and yelled for me to go so I did, but…but he didn’t follow.”

“So, you just left him there?!” Dean said heatedly as Samandriel started shaking even more as his fingertips started sparking.

“Lo?” Sam said jerking his head towards Dean and signaling him to get him calm. Once Loki had turned his attention to the nearly nuclear fire god, Sam turned back to the terrified seraph. “It’s okay Samandriel. You did as you were told. Is there anything else we should know?”

“T-the others have been trying to find out how and why the angels have been disappearing for a while now. I…I don’t think they are going to re-educate him,” he said looking down sadly. 

Sam looked at Ana for an explanation. “He means that they are going to imprison him and torture him for information,” she told him regretfully. 

“At least that means when we get him back he will still be him,” Sam chose to look at the bright side. He wasn’t being brainwashed again. He nodded at Ana and Samandriel and they took it as the dismissal it was. He looked over to Gabriel and Dean to see that Gabriel was keeping him under control, if only barely. “I’ll be back,” he called over the brewing maelstrom. “I have an idea and just need some information from Asgard,” he added so that Gabriel wouldn’t worry that he was rushing off to do something stupid and/or dangerous. 

Sam arrived in the entry hall, since he didn’t know exactly where Odin was at this particular moment, the best way to find him quickly was to check in at the front desk. He walked up and said, “I need to speak with my father immediately.” There was no time for pleasantries right now. 

Mattie seemed to understand the urgency because she just nodded, scribbled a note, and then turned back to him. “He’s in the third floor study.”

Sam nodded curtly and disappeared in a flash of ice, reappearing in the study. “What has happened, Hjert?” Odin asked alarmed. 

“Cas has been captured by the angels,” he said quickly. 

Odin pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew this was a possibility as soon as he found out about the Free Angel’s Sanctuary. “And Styrk and Loki?” he asked hoping that they hadn’t gone off on a suicidal rescue mission. 

“Loki is trying to keep Styrk from blowing up the house or setting everything on fire.”

“Good. That is good. Come. Let us go to the archives and review the treaties and see if there is anything we can use to help,” Odin said getting up and walking quickly from the room, Sam on his heels. “More eyes will help if you think you can calm your brother down enough to assist,” Odin told him as they walked. The archives were warded against teleportation. They held the most important documents that couldn’t be erased if there were an accident so they had to walk there. 

“Yeah. I should be able to help with that. Now that there is something useful he can do,” Sam said disappearing from the hallway and going back to the house to find a mess. The couch was a soggy pile of ash, the curtains were gone and the windows were blown out. Loki looked at him helplessly hoping that Sam was coming with good news. “Dean! If you want to help Cas, you need to calm down. We are going to need your help to get him out of there,” Sam said firmly. 

“What the hell can we do against all of heaven, Sammy,” Dean asked heartbrokenly. 

“Odin and I are looking over the treaties between the pagans and the angels. We are looking for some sort of loophole that we can use to get him released, but there is a lot of stuff to go through. The more people we have looking, the quicker it will go. Will you calm down and come help?”

“What the hell are we standing here for. Let’s go!” 

Before Dean could disappear himself, Gabriel grabbed him, knowing that in his agitated state he would most definitely set himself on fire and also knowing that Dean didn’t know where the treaties were kept or even the way to the archives if he did know. Sam followed behind Gabriel and they reappeared in the archive hallway. Loki disappeared one more time as Sam and Dean rushed into the archives to find Odin already pulling out the relevant scrolls and piling them on the table. Loki returned a few minutes later followed by Thor and they all sat down and started reading without a word. 

It was nearly an hour before anyone spoke. “Styrk, did you and Castiel complete your bond yet?” Thor asked as he was bent over an ancient piece of parchment. 

“No. Not yet,” Dean said blushing brightly. They had planned to do so soon, but they had still only been together for two years. Dean hadn’t quite been ready to make it forever. 

“Damn,” Thor said pushing that page to the side and pulling another one to him. 

Dean heard what Thor didn’t say and realized that his fear of commitment may have just doomed his soulmate and he felt himself losing control of his powers again. “Styrk, go take a walk,” Odin said in a tone that brooked no argument. Dean knew better than to risk losing control over his fire in here. Where held the documents that could save his soulmate. He motioned for everyone else to keep working though. He would be fine by himself. Maybe he would go out to the arena and work off some steam. 

When he got back to the archives a couple hours later he was feeling much calmer and just hoped that someone had found some kind of solution while he was gone. Judging by the fact that they were still searching and not looking very hopeful he guessed they hadn’t. There were still a few documents waiting to be gone through though. Dean sat down and grabbed the top one and started reading. Three hours later and everything had been reviewed. “Come on. No one has anything?” Dean asked hopelessly. 

“I have something. I am not sure how much it will help us though,” Odin said carefully, pulling out a scroll that he had set aside and started to read. “Any pagan ruler may request a peaceful summit with the ruler of heaven to take place within twenty-four hours. The ruler of heaven may also summon any pagan ruler under the same guidelines. This meeting is to take place in a neutral location, and each ruler may bring one aide only.” He stopped reading and looked up from the scroll. “The problem is, we have nothing that I can use to argue for his release. I will have to go there and simply ask for mercy and attempt to make some sort of deal for Castiel’s release.”

None of them particularly trusted Michael, but the treaty specified a ‘peaceful’ summit and if there was one thing the angels were, it was honest at least. To a fault sometimes. They would follow the letter of the law, but would push it as far as they could without breaking it. It was this thought that led Thor to say, “I will stand by you at the summit, Father.”

“No. He is my soulmate. It’s my place,” Dean argued. 

“And he’s my brother. Plus, I know Michael a lot better than any of you. I’ll go,” Gabriel said firmly. 

“Thor, you’re too important to Asgard. We can’t risk both you and father. Styrk, Loki, you’re both too close to this. I’ll go,” Sam chimed in. 

Odin gave a tense chuckle. “None of you will go,” he said with a note of finality and held up a hand for silence when the arguments started. “Loki. We are going before Michael, and likely Raphael. As well as you know them, they know you. It would be far too easy for you to give yourself away. Not to mention your disguise has never been tested against archangels. We cannot be a hundred percent certain they won’t see through it. The same goes for you boys,” he told Sam and Dean. “I will not dangle either of you as bait in front of mad archangels when they are turning over the planet looking for you. Not if there is even the slightest chance of discovery. Thor, I need you to watch over your brothers and if I don’t return I will need all four of you to rule in my stead.”

“You can’t go alone, Father,” Thor said fearfully, reluctantly seeing Odin’s point but not wanting to even consider the possibility of him not coming back. 

“I will not. I will take Tyr.”

“That is…acceptable if you refuse to take one of us,” Thor said still wishing his father would change his mind but understanding why he wouldn’t. The god of war and justice; head of the Asgardian army, was a good choice. His brothers agreed with him and settled down to wait while Odin sent off two missives. One to Michael and one to Tyr requesting his attendance.


	14. Chapter 14

It wasn’t long before Odin received a return missive from Michael with a time and place to meet. He spent some time with each of his sons before the meeting time. “You don’t have to do this, dad. We can try to find another way,” Dean told him. 

“I do have to do this son. The only other way is a full war with heaven and that’s not one we can win. Not on our own. And the other clans would never join us in a war to rescue a seraph. Even if he is the soulmate of a prince,” Odin told him. 

“Wait…” Thor said as something dawned on him. “If they murder the Kind of Asgard at a peaceful summit, all the clans will go to war. That’s not…Dad tell me that’s not your plan.”

“I have no plan for anyone to go to war. Even with all the clans I’m not sure that we can win, but he won’t be any more sure that he can win. He will know of the dangers. He will know what will come for him should he cross that line, and he will not take the risk,” Odin assured him, wishing that he was as confident of that as he seemed. He would only have to hope it didn’t come to that. A war could destroy both their races. After a final good luck from his boys, Odin and Tyr vanished in fire and ice towards the meeting site. Leaving behind four very worried sons.

 

Once they arrived, Michael took the lead on the introductions. “I am Michael, ruler of heaven, and this is my brother and second in command Raphael.”

“I am Odin, King of Asgard and the Norse Pagans, and this is my commander, Tyr.” He managed to keep a straight face as he saw Michael’s eyes widen a fraction at his introduction. If he hadn’t been watching for it he would never have noticed. It seemed that Michael remembered his name after all. That had the potential to make things either easier or harder. 

“Why have you called this summit, pagan?” Michael asked evenly, the only mark of disrespect was the refusal to use his name, which Odin wasn’t going to rise to. 

“I wish to negotiate the release of the seraph Castiel,” Odin said clearly. 

“Castiel is a criminal and a traitor. What is your business with him?” Michael asked suspiciously. 

“He is the soulmate of my son,” Odin told him. 

“Have they bonded?” Michael asked hesitantly. That could make things more difficult. If they were bonded than Castiel was a citizen of both of their peoples. 

“They have a partial bond. They were unable to complete it before this unfortunate incident.” Let Michael believe that the bonding process was interrupted. There was no need for him to know that the partial bond was formed years ago, when he rebuilt the righteous man’s soul. 

“A partial bond may as well be no bond. It gives you no claim over the prisoner. He is ours to punish as we see fit,” Michael said dismissively. 

“I understand, but I am here to ask for mercy on the behalf of my son. I do not ask that you cancel the crimes that he stands accused of. I simply ask that the punishment be such that he can be released back into the care of my son. Perhaps banishment or excommunication,” Odin suggested. 

“Perhaps, when his interrogation is complete and he gives us the answers we need, I will consider this request.”

“Perhaps I can answer your questions and save us all the trouble,” Odin offered. He and his sons had discussed how much they could and would let Michael know if it came down to a choice to save Cas. Michael knowing who they were wasn’t the end of the world as long as he was unable to get to them. 

“Where are the vessels of the apocalypse?” Michael asked, skeptical of whether the pagan knew the answers, but sure in his ability to separate a lie from the truth. 

“They no longer exist,” Odin told him cryptically. 

“We would know if they were dead,” Michael snapped. 

“Only if they had not converted to a different belief system beforehand,” Odin pointed out. Implying was not the same as lying and Michael could not tell the difference. “You only have dominion over heaven and hell. The other destinations are as blind to you as yours are to us.” 

Michael was visibly fuming now. If they were in Helheim as the pagan implied, then they were truly and forever out of his reach. Raphael was more than fuming though. His temper completely snapped as he drew his blade and charged forward only to be stopped by a wave of Michael’s hand, while Tyr stepped in front of his king, flaming sword and shield ready to defend him to the death. “Enough Raphael. If starting a war with these vermin would get our plans back on track then I would not hesitate, but there is nothing here that can be solved by war. Our plans are out of our reach.”

“He has to be lying! Father’s plan…”

“Do you think me so foolish as to not be able to tell when I am being lied to? Have you sensed some falsehood where I have not?” Michael asked heatedly. When Raphael didn’t respond, Michael just snapped his fingers and pointed at the ground and Raphael retook his place beside and behind Michael, prompting Tyr to do the same with Odin. 

“Where are the angels that Castiel has corrupted hiding?” Michael asked. 

“I don’t know. And neither does Castiel. There are a great deal of restrictions on access. All I know is that it is not on this plane of existence. It can only be accessed by an angel and only if they have been there before. Castiel does not live there. He takes the angels to a separate location where they are met by someone else to take them to the final destination.” It was a good thing that they had decided that Cas going in and out could draw too much attention and they decided that Ana would meet him at random locations to move the recruits to the community. 

“And who is this someone else?” 

“I have never met her, but I know that her name is Ana,” Odin told him. They had all agreed that her name could be released as well. She was under Gabriel’s protection and couldn’t be tracked by heaven even in the rare occasions that she was outside of the sanctuary. Unless she walked right up to them, they would never be able to find her. 

“The one that fell,” Raphael reminded Michael. “The one that Castiel failed to dispose of and allowed to regain her grace.”

“As I understand it, a seraph named Uriel was in charge of that mission and was also the one to hold Ana’s grace,” Odin pointed out, not wanting them to pin even more on Cas and make it harder to get him out. 

“As ‘I’ understand the pointe we are at now, Castiel cannot be used to find the vessels. He cannot be used to further our plans. He is not even of any use to find the missing angels. We have no need of him at all,” Michael said. 

“Precisely. You have no more reason to hold him,” Odin said, hoping this wasn’t about to go the other way. 

“You are absolutely correct. He will be executed upon our return. You have our thanks for the information you have provided,” Michael said with a smirk. 

“Wait!” Odin called before they could disappear and end the summit. Michael raised an eyebrow in a manner that was so similar to Loki it was almost heart wrenching. “Can we speak privately? Ruler to ruler?” 

Michael narrowed his eyes but waved Raphael away, and Tyr too disappeared after a nod from his king. Once they were alone, Odin turned to Michael with a cold look. “You may have forgotten all about me, Michael, and my mother, but I assure you that I have not forgotten where I came from. I was the one who led the push for all of us to keep our parentage secret, even from each other. I have no more wish to be associated with you than you do with me. I have never asked you for anything in all this time. Until now. Release Castiel…in whatever condition you see fit so long as he is alive and his mind is intact…and any debt between us is fulfilled.”

“You believe I owe you something, little abomination?” Michael growled. 

“I do. And so do you, whether you admit it to yourself or not,” Odin said firmly. 

“There can be no debts between the dead,” Michael said hatefully. 

“If you kill me here, all of the clans will come for you. Do you truly believe that is a war you can win? And at what cost, if you do?” Odin told him. 

Michael had to admit that Odin was right. Any act of treachery here would begin a war that would decimate both sides. If he could get his wish without treachery though…Was it worth the life of the traitor Castiel? “Would you trade your life for his?”


	15. Chapter 15

That thought rolled around in Odin’s head for a moment. Would he trade his life for Castiel’s? His life for his son’s eternal happiness? There could possibly be even more than that. There was a very good chance that with a partial bond in place, part of Styrk could die with his mate. He may never be whole again if Castiel dies. They wouldn’t even have the chance to be reunited in death. Even if Styrk were to die, likely by his own hand due to the heartbreak, Castiel would no longer exist. The real question then was his life for his son’s and that was an easy choice to make. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to get as much as he could out of it. “As long as you can meet a few conditions, I will accept that bargain.”

“What conditions?” Michael asked. 

“Castiel is to be released, in perfect health, to return with Tyr when he leaves here. There will be no retaliation of any kind against any of my people. This bargain will not change any of the existing treaties in any way, and I must be permitted to send a missive back to my sons with Tyr and Castiel.”

“What type of missive?” Michael asked suspiciously. 

“To give them one last order not to attempt to avenge my death, to make sure the treaties stay intact and we do not go to war,” Odin told him. 

“You can pass a message through your commander,” Michael said dismissively. 

“They will not believe it from any but my own hand,” Odin said firmly. 

Michael considered that for a moment. “Castiel will be released, fully healed, but as a human, to leave with your commander after the conclusion of this deal. There will be no further actions against your people unless they retaliate against us. The treaties will not be broken from our side, and I will read and approve this missive before it is sent.”

“Agreed,” Odin said with a nod. Michael waved a hand and a rickety writing desk, parchment and quill appeared and Odin sat down to write his missive. It took a little while before he was finished and handed over to Michael. 

Michael took a moment to read the sentimental drivel and he was satisfied that Odin had given the orders he was to give and had not given or even implied any of the secrets the filth was supposed to take to his grave. Only then did he hand the parchment back to Odin, who used the quill to prick his finger and sign it in his blood before folding it and pulling the wax stamp from his pocket and sealing it with the royal seal. Michael called Raphael and Tyr back to the summit and Michael announced the decision. “The pagan king will trade his life for the life of the traitor…”

“My lord, no!” Tyr cried out before Michael could get any further. 

“I have made my decision Tyr. You will not sway me,” Odin said firmly with his head held high. 

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…The pagan king will trade his life for the life of the traitor. Raphael, you are to collect Castiel, remove his grace, heal his wounds, and bring him back here as quickly as possible.”

“Understood,” Raphael said with a cruel grin. He hated to lose Castiel, but they had caught a much bigger fish instead. The execution of the King of Asgard would surely bring war and then there would be an excuse to destroy all of the pagan scum.

Once Raphael had disappeared, Odin turned to Tyr. “I need you to deliver this to my sons. If there is any doubt, you can assure them that it was not written under duress and that this expresses my true wishes.”

“Is that…true, my lord?” he asked carefully watching Michael out of the corner of his eye. 

“It is completely true, Tyr. You may tell them that I offer the word Eyvindr as proof. Loki will know that you are being truthful and that I was truthful to you.”

“What is that? Eyvindr?” Michael asked suspiciously wondering if he was trying to get one over on him. 

“It is a secret name between myself and my second son. No one else knows of it or what it means and it is not something that I could ever give up under torture or duress so it will prove that my words are my own.”

“And that is the only purpose?” Michael asked watching even more carefully for any deceit in the pagan’s words. 

“That is the only purpose. You have my word,” Odin said firmly. Michael gave a curt nod just before Raphael reappeared with a weak looking Castiel and handed him to Tyr. 

“If his children wish to retrieve his body, you can do so here in one hour. Be gone,” Michael told Tyr. 

He looked heartbrokenly at his king. “Go Tyr. That’s an order,” Odin told him. 

Tyr and Castiel were gone, Michael sent Raphael away too so that it was just him and Odin again. Michael slammed Odin’s back against a large tree at the edge of the clearing and pinned him there. “Your secrets will die with you. No one will ever know that I fathered such filth,” Michael snarled as his blade fell into his hand. 

Odin stood tall and proud, refusing to show any sign of weakness as he just looked Michael in the eye and said, “You will know,” at the same time as the archangel’s blade went through his chest. 

“And I don’t care,” Michael said coldly, as he watched the light fade from his son’s eyes, ignoring the hollow feeling welling up in him as Odin’s head lolled to the side. He removed his blade and tucked it back up his sleeve and tossed Odin’s body toward the center of the clearing uncaringly and disappeared. 

 

Tyr reappeared in the throne room, holding a barely conscious ex-seraph. “Cas!” Dean cried and ran forward to catch him. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s human now. He will need to rest,” Tyr said hollowly. 

“Tyr…where’s father?” Thor asked as though he was afraid of the answer. 

“He asked me to give you this and to tell you that it was not written under duress,” Tyr said trying to keep his rigid formal façade. 

“And we’re supposed to believe that?” Loki snapped, getting the hint that Odin wasn’t coming back and he was pissed. 

“He told me to tell you Eyvindr, as proof that this missive represents his uncoerced wishes.”

Loki sucked in a sharp breath at the name and quickly said, “Thank you Tyr. You may go, but don’t go far. We may have more questions.”

“What does that mean Lo?” Sam asked seeing as he was the only one that showed any reaction to the word. 

“Eyvindr was the name of my vessel. He was burned away by my grace as I tried to hide it before Odin found me. I was riddled with guilt over Eyvindr’s fate, but he helped me through it. He was the only one to ever know that name…until now,” he told his soulmate and their brothers. 

No sooner than he finished speaking than an indescribable weight seemed to fall on each of them. Thor and Loki closed their eyes against the tears. “What was that?” Dean asked. 

“He’s gone,” Loki said hollowly. 

“That was the weight of the throne settling on his heirs,” Thor added, his voice catching on the words, and Sam and Dean’s eyes filled with tears as well. 

“So, this means war then,” Dean choked out. 

“First, we read what he has to say,” Thor told him. “Then we have the requisite mourning period. Then we decide where to go next.”

Sam, Dean, and Loki nodded in acceptance of those priorities, but before Thor could open the seal, Dean said, “Let me have someone take Cas up to our rooms first.” Thor paused and nodded to him and Dean rushed to the front of the hall, opened the door and whispered to Mattie for a moment and then passed Castiel out of the doors before closing them and returning to his brothers. Prita would stay with him until he woke and let him know that Dean would be by when he could. 

Once Dean was back, Thor poised to break the seal and looked around to make sure they were all ready and when he got three nods in return, he unrolled the scroll and read aloud. 

 

Thor, Loki, Styrk, and Hjert,

I am sorry, my sons. It seems I will not be able to come home after all. Castiel was slated for execution, and the would only agree to let him go if I took his place. It was my decision and I do not regret it, and I ask you not to either. I have lived a long time and I am ready to go and be with my Frigg once more. I remember how it was to lose her, and how I have never been whole since, and she was not my soulmate. I could not imagine how much worse it would have been for you Styrk, and I would not wish even a fraction of my pain on you. I know that you will all mourn my passing, but you are strong. You will heal. I am so very proud of all four of you boys, and I have no reservations about leaving our people in your capable hands. You will do a wonderful job. Just remember to lean on each other and help each other, and most of all, always love each other. I know I need not say it, but do not blame Castiel for this outcome, or Styrk. I made this sacrifice so that you could be happy and together as you were meant to be. It was my decision and mine alone. I don’t wish to see you torn apart by blame or guilt, but to see you band together as a family and carry each other through. 

That leads me to my final order. There will be no reprisals, and no revenge. This was not treachery; It was a compromise between leaders carried out in good faith. The treaties are still intact. Do not bring our people to a war that will destroy them all. Keep the peace, my sons. Protect our people. Do not allow them to take any more from us. I love you all and I regret nothing.

Your Loving Father,

Odin


	16. Chapter 16

Complete silence followed the letter as all four of them tried to control their reactions. It was a good while before Sam broke the silence. “So, no war.”

“No war,” Loki agreed. 

“No war,” Thor echoed and Dean just nodded. “We follow his final wishes. We will not retaliate, but we will not forget either. Should war ever come, this will be added to the list of their crimes.”

“Agreed,” the others said in unison. 

A parchment appeared in Thor’s hand and he read it for a moment. “Tyr needs to see us for a moment.” They all took a moment to wipe the offending tears from their cheeks and look as presentable as possible before Thor replied to the note inviting Tyr in. 

Tyr walked to the front where they were standing in front of the raised platform where the throne rested and he knelt before them in response to the currently unofficial roles. “Rise Tyr,” Thor said managing to keep his voice steady. “What do you have to report?” 

“I was…unable…to inform you. The archangel said that we could retrieve our lord’s body after one hour had passed. It is nearly that time. Would you like me to do so?”

“It would be greatly appreciated Tyr. One thing before you go. My father gave one final order in that missive. We are not to go to war. Should the people know the details of his death, we would be hard pressed to prevent it. They will know that he willingly sacrificed his life to save another. They do not need to know the circumstances,” Thor told him. 

“I understand, my prince,” Tyr said with a low bow. “I will return with your father.”

“Bring him straight in there, Tyr. Let no one else see him. We will make an announcement soon,” Loki told him. 

“Yes, my prince.”

It was only a few moments before Tyr arrived, cradling Odin’s body to his chest. Loki waved a hand and a litter appeared on the floor and Tyr laid him down. “Leave us,” Thor said shortly, but Tyr wouldn’t dream of taking offense at his demeanor right now. He knew it was borne from grief. All four princes knelt next to the litter. Thor reached out a hand to smooth Odin’s hair and close his eyes. Loki placed a hand on his father’s stomach and healed the body back to pristine condition, repairing his ripped clothing at the same time. Sam and Dean each took an arm and crossed them over his chest, and then each of the four pressed a kiss to his brow before they each took a corner of the litter and lifted it, stepping up to the dais. They set the litter over the arms of the throne and stepped back down in front. 

“He will rest here until the ceremony. This room will be sealed but for the four of us,” Thor said firmly and raised his hands as a flash of light broke through the room and all the doors and windows glowed golden for a moment before it ended. “Loki, will you ask Mattie to send the call for the people to assemble for a royal announcement in one hour? Styrk, go check on Castiel. Hjert, will you check Father’s office for any personal items? I will begin gathering what is in his rooms. You can all meet me there when you can, or at the Royal Balcony in one hour. Loki also ask Mattie to meet us in the public study after the announcement.” They all nodded and disappeared to complete their tasks. 

 

Loki reappeared at the front desk of the entrance hall. “Mattie, will you send word for the kingdom to assemble for a royal announcement in one hour, and after the announcement come to the public study?” She was a messenger goddess and had the ability to send messages to anyone, anywhere and receive replies. There were many with those skills in the kingdom, but she had the job she did because she was the best. Loki hoped that she would stick around after all this. Many of the castle staff would probably retire after the mourning period. It would be difficult for them to be here where his absence would be felt the most. That was a problem for another day though. Once she told him that it was done, he gave her a polite nod, not being up for pleasantries at the moment and started walking towards his father’s rooms. He could have flown there, but given the circumstances it just felt right to walk. 

 

Dean reappeared in his rooms and headed to the bedroom, dismissing Prita so that she could get ready to attend the announcement with everyone else. He sat down next to Cas on the bed and ran a hand through his soulmate’s hair and Cas started to stir. It took a few more minutes of Dean’s hand carding through his hair before he creaked his eyes open with a sleepy, “Dean?”

“It’s okay, Cas. I’m here.”

“What happened?”

“You remember being captured?” Dean asked and when Cas nodded, Dean continued. “Father went to bargain for your release. I’m not sure what all happened, but the final result was you losing your grace and being released as a human in return for Father’s life.” Dean was never good at explaining things gently and especially not now when he was already so emotionally raw. Thankfully, Cas didn’t really appreciate coddling and preferred things that way. 

“He didn’t…please tell me he didn’t…”

“He did. Michael allowed him to send us a letter though. He didn’t regret it. He said…said that he was going to be with Frigg again and that…that he had lived his life. He wanted us to have that chance and to be happy.”

“It’s my fault,” Cas said turning away with tears in his eyes. 

“No, Cas. It’s not. It was his choice. Don’t try to take his honor away by shouldering the blame for it.”

“I’m sorry,” Cas said as the tears flowed down his cheeks. 

Dean laid down next to him and pulled him close, his own tears overwhelming him again as well. “Me too,” he whispered as they clung to each other in grief. It wasn’t long before Cas was starting to nod off again. He would be pretty weak for a few days while he adjusted to being human. Speaking of, Dean was going to have to ask Loki to put a few bathrooms in the castle. It’s not something that was ever needed before so there weren’t any. Before Cas could drift off though, Dean had to let him know what was going on. “You need to get some more rest. I’ll be in and out taking care of things and making arrangements. There is a big announcement in a little while that everyone has to be there for, but after that I’ll make sure someone is in the next room when I’m not here in case you need anything, okay?” 

Cas just nodded and closed his eyes again, letting sleep take him and Dean pressed one more kiss to his brow before sliding out of bed and heading towards his father’s rooms. 

 

Sam took a quick look around Odin’s office. He’d only been in here a few times, but he always marveled at how neat and organized it was. He ran a hand over the pristine grandfather clock at the back of the room as he catalogued everything he could see. He knew there wouldn’t be many personal items in here, but buckled down to start looking. In the top drawer of the desk, he found a silver engraved letter opener and placed it on the desk to take with him. In the next drawer he couldn’t help but smile as he found a folder with what looked like children’s drawings and he pulled that out as well. He also took Odin’s personal seal, but left the royal seal behind. 

There were five pictures on the desk. One of Thor as a child playing with a bolt of lightning and laughing. One of an adult Thor and Loki leaning over a game and obviously having fun. Another was of Sam and Dean, Dean was on fire and Sam was holding his hand out and spraying water on him while laughing and Dean just looked good-naturedly annoyed. The fourth was a picture of all four of them, arms slung over each other’s shoulders as they walked through the gardens. The last was a picture of Frigg with her hair blowing in the wind and her head thrown back in laughter. He grabbed all five of those and also pulled the three photo collages off the wall containing various pictures of Thor, Loki, Sam, Dean, Cas, and Frigg. He put the folder with the drawings on top of the stack of pictures and the letter opener and seal on top of that and picked up the whole stack to take with him to Odin’s room. 

 

Thor stepped into Odin’s room and closed his eyes against another wash of pain. He took a few deep breaths and opened them again as he set to work. They would need to decide what he would take with him to the next life. That was for all four of them to decide together, really, but he could at least start gathering things together and getting some ideas while he waited for the others to join him. He started with the jewelry box. He was separating Odin’s personal jewelry from the royal set. Anything with the royal crest would stay in the family. He had just finished that when Loki came in looking just as lost as he felt. 

Loki went over and put a hand on Thor’s shoulder in a comforting gesture only to find himself pulled into a tight hug. They could have stood there like that all day, but they had things to do right now. They could wallow later and they reluctantly broke away. They gave each other watery smiles and turned to the task at hand. Loki walked over to start going through the wardrobe and organizing everything into stacks on the bed; everyday clothing, dress clothes, formal wear, and event specific. While he was doing that Thor moved on to the bedside tables. He moved the lamps onto the floor so that there would be room on top to stack things. Each one had a drawer at the top and a large cabinet underneath. He opened the first cabinet to find photo albums and he started stacking them on top just as Sam found his way in with an armload of things. 

“Come put the photos over here with the albums,” Thor told him. They decided that the seal and the letter opener would go with the jewelry for the moment and the folder with the drawings started a whole new section. Dean joined them a few minutes later and after pulling Loki aside for a moment to ask for some bathrooms to be set up for Cas, he started to help with the organizing. It wasn’t long before the chimes began signaling that it was time for the announcement. They all joined in a group hug and Loki took the opportunity to fly them to the ready room off the balcony, his way of traveling the most comfortable for all the different elementals and none of them really wanting to separate at the moment.


	17. Chapter 17

They all linked hands, not wanting to let go right now and stepped out to the balcony as one and the roar of the crowd instantly silenced as they began to get a bad feeling. They had never seen a royal announcement without Odin at the center. The princes looked down and saw the castle staff assembled in the small courtyard directly below them with the rest of the people pressed around them. They had decided that since Thor had the most experience and was most comfortable addressing crowds that he would do the talking, unless he got too choked up to continue. The others were mainly there to present a united front and for moral support. 

Thor cleared his throat and began to speak as the enchantments on this balcony carried it out over the entire crowd, farther than the eye could see. “Today, our father…our king…has fallen.” He had a long pause as the crowd reacted, some in disbelief, many started to sob, holding onto their neighbors for support, but all were either angry or sad and most had some small measure of fear mixed in as well. “He gave his life willingly in defense of another and has asked that we honor his sacrifice in peace and harmony.” Much of the fear on the faces started to fade as they realized that this didn’t have to mean war. “He asked that we lean on each other to get through this difficult time. The kingdom is now in mourning for seven days.” At his words all the banners and flags turned grey and the only color found now was in the flower gardens. “The…the ce…”

Loki picked up where Thor left off as his voice closed up. “The ceremony will be held at dusk tomorrow. Those who wish to attend should begin arriving at midday at the gated entrance to the left of the castle that lead to the burial grounds. The castle is now closed to all non-staff for the remainder of the mourning period. Thank you for your attention. Would the castle staff please assemble in the entry hall.” The four of them turned as one and walked away, arms going over each other’s shoulders in comforting gestures. They wanted nothing more than to just let the tears fall and be together but there was still too much to do right now. 

They walked down to the entry hall giving the staff time to arrive and settle their emotions. Sam could see that Loki and Thor were both running on fumes and didn’t have much more in them so he offered to address the staff. Once they arrived a hush fell over the room. “I know that you all are as eager to be alone and mourn our loss as we are, but we must ask just a bit more of you. We need you all to get all of the guest suites ready for the visiting royals. All other duties are suspended so we can get this finished as quickly as possible and then you are all free for the remainder of the week. The public will begin to arrive for the ceremony at noon tomorrow. Those of you who wish to attend can arrive at four pm. Your places will be in front of the public and behind the visiting royals who will enter at five pm and the ceremony will start soon after. Are there any questions?” 

“Will we be able to come and go from the castle?” someone asked. 

Thor had recovered enough to field that question. “The castle will be in lockdown after the ceremony until the end of the mourning period to allow for privacy and security. I know at least some of you have no other place to go and you are welcome to stay. But once the lockdown is in place no one can enter or leave the castle until it is lifted so use the time between now and the ceremony to consider what you wish to do.” It was too dangerous to have too many people running around the castle with the throne vacant and it couldn’t be filled until the end of the mourning period. They were walking a fine line between kicking everyone out and being careful. Only the fact that the castle staff were all highly trusted allowed them the option to stay at all. 

When there were no more questions, Dean asked Mattie and Prita to stay behind as everyone else was dismissed to attend to their final duties. “Prita, would you be willing to stay with Castiel during the times that I can’t be there until the ceremony tomorrow? He’s still very weak and I would feel better knowing that he has help around while I’m taking care of arrangements.”

“He is the one, our lord saved isn’t he?” she asked softly. 

The four princes looked between each other trying to decide if they would answer that question, but the decided to leave the decision up to Dean who decided that she deserved an answer but he still didn’t want everyone to know. “He is, but I will ask you to keep it to yourselves. There may be those who choose to resent him for it despite the fact that he was unaware until he woke up here.”

“I will tell no one, my prince, and I would be honored to look after him in your stead. If he was important to our lord than he is important to me as well,” she said tearfully and Dean couldn’t help but give her a hug as he thanked her and she headed up to the suite. 

They turned to Mattie. “I, too, will keep my silence, though I disagree with the reasons for it. I don’t believe any would insult our lord so much as to look down on one he deemed so worthy.”

“You are likely correct, my lady, but while emotions are running high, people can be unpredictable. We don’t intend to hide it forever. Just until things settle a bit,” Thor explained. 

“I understand, and bow to your wisdom,” she agreed. 

“If you could follow us to the public study, we could use your assistance with sending out notices,” Loki suggested and they made their way there. 

“First we need to send notices to all of the kingdoms, along with invitations to the royal families,” Thor started once they were seated. 

“Just the royal families are invited?” Mattie confirmed. 

“Correct. We don’t have the space for all of the pagan peoples and we have to cut the list off somewhere. Priority will go to our own people and the royals and perhaps a few other friends. Do any of you have anyone else to invite?” Thor asked his brothers. 

“I need to notify Anael. She may wish to attend and possibly bring some of the other free angels with her. Father did save their leader, so they may wish to honor him. Will you send a note to Anael of the free angels to meet me at my house and I will explain in person and see what she wishes to do?” 

Mattie nodded that it was done, and Sam spoke up. “Bobby maybe? I know he respected Father and enjoyed their conversations. He might want to come if he’s not too uncomfortable with the idea.” When the others nodded in acceptance, he said, “Okay send an invitation to the human Bobby Singer and let him know that one of us will be by tomorrow morning with more information and to see what he wants to do.”

Once she was finished with that and the parchment disappeared from the desk another one appeared. “Anael has replied that she will be waiting at your house when you are ready.”

“Do you all mind if I go take care of this real quick? I won’t be long,” Loki asked. No one had any issues so he disappeared while they continued recording the responses that Mattie was getting to the notices. The first of the royal families would be arriving within two hours and the princes would meet them in the entrance hall to welcome them and direct them to the guest suites. Part of the process of getting them ready would be placing placards on the doors for the different realms so they wouldn’t need people to lead them around and the princes would be free to finish their arrangements. 

True to his word Loki wasn’t gone long, returning within twenty minutes. “Anael will come and she will probably be bringing others. She’s letting them know now. I told her that they are to arrive with the public between noon and four.” 

About thirty minutes before the first of the royals would start to arrive they got word that all of the guest suites were ready and people were leaving in droves. Most of them going home to be with their families. Only a few stayed; those that had nowhere else to go. Those who had no families and had dedicated their lives to the royal family and had few friends outside the castle either. Normally the royal feast in Odin’s honor that would be held at midnight as was traditional would be tricky without staff, but Loki could cover this one. 

The first to arrive were Danu and Dagda of the Celts, followed by Jupiter and Juno of the Romans and Zeus and Hera of the Greeks, Brahma and Aditi of the Hindis, Quetzalcoatl, of the Mayans, and it seemed like the stream never ended. They were each greeted and then given directions both to the guest wing and from there to the formal dining hall where the feast would be held. Once the parade stopped, the four of them returned to Odin’s rooms to continue sorting through the items for the ceremony.


	18. Chapter 18

By the time the feast rolled around they had decided what all would be a part of the ceremony. After the feast, they would get everything set up and moved out, then Sam would go visit Bobby to see if he would come before the four of them prepared the body in time to begin meeting the mourners at noon. They headed down to the formal dining room, where place cards were waiting at each of the seats. The head of the table sat empty as a tribute to the fallen king and to the right sat Thor, Loki, Sam, and Dean in that order. It was traditional at these events for the heirs to sit according to age. While Dean was technically older than Sam as a human, as gods they were considered twins and as Loki’s mate, Sam took the first seat next to his lover. Dean was really missing Cas’ presence but he was still resting. He hoped to be up to attending the ceremony the next day. 

The feast passed with a subdued friendliness. It was opened with a toast to Odin before Loki snapped his fingers and the table groaned under the weight of the food. As they ate they all told stories about Odin, including their first meeting, or in Thor’s case his earliest memory. They all got a good laugh out of Dean’s story of the untimely joke that he made when being introduced. Loki’s first meeting with Odin was heavily edited to keep his secrets safe. The feast ended around four am, and the four princes got back to work. 

They headed out to the burial site and used their powers of earth to build a large burial mound to match the one already at the center belonging to Frigg. They would be side by side in death as they were in life. Once the mound was in place, they began to build the pyre at the center of it. The sun was coming up by the time they finished and they headed inside to bring out all the items that would be sent on with him that wouldn’t be worn. When everything was set up and organized they decided to mark off the sections. 

Cas and Bobby if the old hunter came, would be with the castle staff who were already used to them both and not averse to humans. They all knew that no one would ever dishonor a time of mourning by taking offense at their presence, which was also the only reason why they gave leave for the free angels to attend, but there was no reason to make things more difficult by mixing them in with the visiting royals. 

Sam headed to Bobby’s house to check in with him and see if he would go or not. Bobby always preferred that they appear outside and knock rather than just popping right into the house. It was safer that way too in case he had another hunter in the house. Bobby seemed to have been waiting for him because it was no time at all before the door opened and Bobby pulled him into a hug. “How you doin’ boy?” he asked sympathetically. 

“I don’t even know Bobby. I haven’t even had a moments rest to process all this. There’s just so much to do. After the ceremony today it will be easier to answer that question.”

“Speaking of the ceremony, I’m not sure I should go. I mean, I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble by being there as a human and all.”

“You should definitely go, Bobby. You’re the closest thing he had to a friend I think. Everyone else was either his subject or his employee or his son. No one will care that you’re there and you’ll be with the castle staff anyway who are already used to you. During a mourning period all differences and disputes are set aside. There will even be free angels there, and besides Cas is human now too so you won’t be the only one.” 

“I’m thinking I’m missing a few pieces of this story,” Bobby said curiously. 

“Long story short, Cas got caught recruiting for the free angels and was captured. Odin went to negotiate for his release, but the only negotiation Michael would accept is Odin’s life for Cas’ and even then only if they removed Cas’ grace, making him human, so that he could never get into heaven again.”

“Well hell,” Bobby said plopping down in his chair at all the information. “So the ruler of heaven killed the King of Asgard. Bet that’s opened a can of worms.”

“Not really. No one knows the details except the guard that accompanied him to the meeting and he’s keeping it quiet. Dad didn’t want war breaking out over this. We’ll leave it alone as long as they do. That was part of the deal he made with them apparently.”

“Well ain’t that a kick in the teeth. Well alright if you’re sure it’s no trouble, I guess I can go,” Bobby said realizing that Sam probably had a lot to do other than sit here chatting. 

“Thanks Bobby. You need to grab anything or you ready?” Sam asked. 

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

 

Sam dropped Bobby off with Cas and Prita and grabbed Dean so they could go meet Thor and Loki and start preparing the body. First, they undressed him and washed the body in ceremonial oils, then redressed him. They decided that he would wear the clothes that he died in since they were his diplomatic robes and he died as an act of diplomacy. Then they placed his four rings on his finger, including his wedding ring, and the two armbands that he had also worn at his wedding and placed his crown on his head. Technically the crown should pass to his heir, Thor in this case as the eldest, but since they would have to have new crowns commissioned anyway since there would be four kings, Thor wanted him to pass into Helheim with crown in place. Finally, they placed His sword over his chest, hands wrapped around the hilt that was resting on his stomach. 

Once the body was prepared they simply sat vigil with him for the last hour before they had to go begin to greet the people as they came in. The positioned themselves inside the gates standing in a row of to the side. Thankfully with the size and nature of the event formal greetings weren’t required. Each person bowed respectfully as they passed and it seemed that the crowd was never-ending. They wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in the kingdom was present. Thankfully the royal burial grounds were large enough to hold everyone comfortably, being designed for just this purpose after Frigg had passed on. Since the beginning of time, Odin was only the second to need a place here. 

About halfway through the rush the group of free angels entered and this did require a formal response only because they were not usually allowed in Asgard. Anael kneeled before the princes, the rest of the angels kneeling behind her. All four princes bowed in return and Loki was the one to speak. “Thank you Anael for coming, and for bringing your people. You honor us with your presence.”

“Our condolences for your loss,” she said as they stood and joined the procession. Many people gave them a wide berth but no one was even the slightest bit rude about it. It would have dishonored the king they were here to lay to rest and the kingdom as a whole to do so. 

No sooner than the first stream of people ended the second began with the castle staff and their families, along with Bobby and Cas who were accompanied by Prita and Mattie. That took less time and they had a chance to breathe before the procession of royals began. When that was finally over the sun was starting to set and it was time to begin. 

The four princes traveled instantaneously into the entrance hall and unsealed the back door long enough to carry the body through before it sealed itself back up again. Loki and Thor had the front of the litter with Odin’s head between them and Sam and Dean had the back. When they exited the back door of the castle after the long hallway, the crowd parted ahead of them as they carried their king to the pyre. Once they were in place at the front and stood behind the bier facing the crowd. They found that their emotions were getting the better of them again and there was a long moment of silence before any of them were able to speak. 

“Thank you all for coming to see our father…our king…on to his next life. He will surely be welcomed into Helheim with such a loving tribute behind him,” Thor began. “He passes into the next world with the crown upon his head signifying him as a kind and just ruler, the vestments of diplomacy showing that he was a proponent of peace, and the sword of justice showing that when diplomacy failed he would not hesitate to do battle for his people.”

Loki took up the next part. “We send him on with the love of his subjects,” he said as he placed two of the flower arrangements that had arrived by Odin’s feet as the rest filled the space beneath and surrounding the pyre. 

“And the love of their children,” Sam said as he placed the stacks of drawings between his feet. 

“And the loving memories of his family,” Dean said as each of them pulled out a large photo album that they had duplicated in order to send the originals with Odin, and arranged them around his sides. 

As one they said, “We send you on with all our love as your family.”

The crowd then intoned together, “We send you on with all of our love as your subjects/comrades/counterparts” The Asgardians said subjects, the free angels and Cas and Bobby said comrades, and the assembled royals said counterparts. 

Dean and Loki, the only ones easily able to control fire lifted their hands and the entire crowd, royals included kneeled before the pyre as they set it aflame. It burned fast and hot and only took minutes before there was little more than ash and molten metal. Thor and Sam then did their part and raised their hands while pressed together and slowly pulled them apart as the earth opened and swallowed the remains, before bringing their hands together again to close it over top of them. They then turned their backs to the people and Loki waved his hand forming a large statue of Odin standing tall with crown atop his head, sword in the scabbard at his side and a benevolent expression on his face. Thor then raised a fist and a bolt of lightning shot from the sky and struck the statue and when it dissipated, engraved at the base, were the words. Here Lies Odin. First King of Asgard. Loving Husband. Devoted Father. Beloved King. The four princes then joined the others on their knees facing the statue and after a moment of silence the people started filing out while the princes kept up their silent vigil until they were alone in the cemetery and they were finally free to let their tears fall freely. 

Mattie had offered to take Bobby home and when the princes got up to return to the castle a short while later Cas was waiting for them just inside the doors and Dean fell into his arms as the five of them went to the upstairs sitting room that connected their three suites and collapsed onto the couch in a heap, taking comfort from their brothers and their lovers as the castle went into lockdown to allow the family to grieve in private.


	19. Chapter 19

After a little while, Cas decided he had to say something. “Thor, Loki, Hjert, I’ve already said this to Styrk but I’m sorry that my carelessness cost you your father.”

“No, Cas. It’s not your fault. He didn’t blame you and neither do we,” Sam assured him. Loki reached over and grasped Cas’ hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, but neither he nor Thor could form words at the moment. “Besides, if we’re assigning blame, some of it goes to me for asking Dad for help in the first place.”

“Send some over here too. I’m the one who got Cassie involved with us and set up with the venture that got him caught,” Loki said sniffling. 

“We all know what my part in this is,” Dean said not even willing to say that Odin had done it for him. So that he wouldn’t have to lose his soulmate. That and the fact that he hadn’t completed the bond yet gave them no other way out. If anything, Dean knew that he shouldered the majority of the blame. 

“And we all could have tried harder to find another way or talk him out of going without us. There’s plenty of blame to go around so let’s just let it go and worry about moving on from here,” Thor said firmly. Dean just got up and left the room. He couldn’t hear any more. He couldn’t deal with all this. 

Sam sighed and tried to explain what he suspected Dean was thinking. “A few years ago, our dad…our first dad, he sold his soul to a demon to save Dean’s life. Dean felt responsible. I don’t think he’s ever gotten over that. And now this. He probably feels like another father just sacrificed themselves for him.”

Thor got up and followed Dean, knowing that anything he could say would mean the most from him. He caught up to him at the end of the hallway and cringed as he punched a wall, and with his strength the whole wall came down. Thor rushed up behind him and grabbed him tightly, pinning Dean’s arms to his sides. Dean struggled against him for a few minutes before he just slumped and a broken sob pulled from him. “Why? Why would he do this to me? I can’t…can’t do this again. I just can’t,” Dean gasped through his sobs. 

“He’s not in hell, Styrk,” Thor told him through his own tears. “He’s not being tortured. He’s not alone.” Thor, rather than keep holding him up, lowered them so they were sitting on the floor and loosened his grip enough to be comforting rather than restraining. “My mother died more than a hundred thousand years ago. He’s found joy and happiness in us, but there has always been something missing. Some spark that never returned. He’s with her again. He’s not alone anymore. Do you know who rules Helheim?” Dean, starting to calm, shook his head. “Hela. Loki’s daughter. Dad’s granddaughter. None of us have seen her since she was a teenager and took over there. Nearly as long as Mom’s been gone. He gets to be with her now too. We will miss him here. Very much. But he’s okay where he is now. He’s not in hell, Styrk. He gave you your soulmate back, while going back to his wife. We can mourn our loss, but just remember that no matter how much we miss him, he’s still happy and at peace. It’s not like what happened to you before.”

Dean nodded. He did feel a little lighter at that. It changed things, but it didn’t make everything better. “He’s still gone. He’s gone and it’s…”

“If you’re about to start with the blame thing again, I might just have to kick your ass baby brother,” Thor said firmly, squeezing him comfortingly for a minute. 

“How can you just let all that go?” Dean asked hopelessly. He really needed an answer before it tore him apart. 

“Because if we start throwing around blame, and carrying guilt, then it tears us apart and then we’ve lost even more. We didn’t have a choice in losing Dad. We do have a choice on whether to hold onto each other or throw it away and lose everything else too,” Thor said sadly. 

They sat there like that for a few more minutes before Dean nodded and got up with one more squeeze to Thor’s shoulder and headed back to the room, Thor following behind him. Dean came in and grabbed Cas’ hand and pulled him off to their room without another word. He had a far better way to work out his feelings. 

Thor hovered in the doorway for a moment before he seemed to make a decision. “I’m gonna go demolish some things. I’ll catch up with you in the morning.”

Before he could leave, Loki asked, “You want some help?” 

“No. I just…need some time alone right now.”

Loki nodded. “You know where to find us if you change your mind.” He knew that Thor needed to blow off steam sometimes when things got too much. Loki was the opposite though. The more things piled on, the more he clinged to the people he trusted and cared for. Thankfully, Sam was the same so he wasn’t in danger of being left alone anytime soon. He pulled Sam to their bedroom and pressed him down on the bed and he slid in next to him and curled up to his side. “How are you holding up?” he asked. 

Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose willing the tears not to start falling again. It was amazing how that one act of caring could just bring everything back to the surface. “Honestly? I feel like shit. I mean…how much more do I have to lose? I lost Mom when I was just a baby. Then Dad to the demon deal, and now my new Dad. I feel like poison. Like everything I touch is destroyed. Then I also feel bad for feeling bad. I mean, I only had him for a few years. You and Thor…you’ve had millennia with him. You’ve lost so much more…”

“Enough,” Loki interrupted. He’d been intending to just let Sam vent for a while before taking his turn, but he wasn’t going to listen to this. “Yes, we knew him longer but that doesn’t mean you hurt any less. In fact, it could go both ways. You could miss him more just because you didn’t get to have everything we did before he was gone. There’s no point in going into who misses him more or who has a right to miss him more. He was a father to all of us and we all have equal right to miss him.” 

Sam wasn’t sure how much he bought that, but decided to let it go. “Yeah, okay. But I still feel like shit. I never realized just how…present…he was. In the last two days, I’ve thought of at least a dozen things I wanted to tell him about or get his opinion on or even just start an argument about to see where it goes. He was like…the center of everything without us even noticing, and now he’s gone and I just feel…lost…adrift.”

“I know what you mean. I never used to spend a lot of time here. I’d pop in for a few weeks every few decades or so, but I had my own life, you know? I guess I just…always thought there would be more time. I never realized what it would be like with him gone. The worst part though…the worst is knowing that it was my brother who killed him. Michael is an archangel just like me and I know he was the one to make the deal and do the deed, but I’m sure that Raphael was just cheering him on. I feel…I don’t know…disgusting for even being what I am. I can’t help but wonder if I could have changed anything if they knew. If I stood up to them instead of him…as equals. Am I a coward because I didn’t?”

“No, Lo. You’re not a coward and you’re not disgusting. They are. You are pure and perfect and kind,” he punctuated each compliment with a soft kiss to Loki’s lips. “Archangels were not created to be like them. They were created to be like you. They are the ones who twisted it. They are the ones who are wrong. Not you. And as far as being a coward, not a chance. You wanted to go. We all did. Maybe you could have made a difference. Maybe I could have, or Dean, or Thor. We’ll never know and we can’t just beat ourselves up over what ifs. You did what Dad wanted. That’s all you could have done. That’s all any of us could have done.”

“I’m scared, Samshine,” Loki admitted softly. “I never had any interest in ruling. I never thought I would need to. I have no idea what to do. But Dad wants all of us to do it and I don’t know if I can.”

“I know how you feel, Lo. Believe me I do. But I’ve had more than a few conversations about this with Dad over the years and whenever I get too scared I just remember what he said. He said we all have our own strengths to bring to the table. You bring joy everywhere you go, Lo, but you have a lining of steel. You won’t hesitate to dish out justice where it’s needed, but with a view to correct whenever possible. I would be too lenient, Styrk would be too hard, and Thor would simply punish for punishments sake, but you have the incredible talent to see to the heart of the matter. You can see whether someone can be redeemed or not and you will go to great lengths to see that they become better than they are. You know that even when he’s trying not to, Thor has a tendency to be distant. You are his balance there. You are warm and caring to everyone. All four of us have a role to play. Thor knows how to rule. He knows what needs to be done and how. I have been learning. You and Styrk will too. We’ll be okay because we’ll be able to lean on each other. Just like we’re doing now.”

“I wish he were still here,” Loki said sadly, sounding very childlike in that moment. 

“Me too, Lo. Me too,” Sam said holding his lover tightly.


	20. Chapter 20

Over the course of the week, the five of them spent a great deal of time together, but Dean and Thor also took some time to blow off steam every now and then too, and of course the couples took their alone time as well. They tried to time it so that Thor never had to be alone if he didn’t want to be. They could see the way he looked at them wistfully, wishing he had the same and they tried not to rub it in. It was so easy to feel alone in the wake of this loss, but for Thor it was doubly difficult. 

There had been some scattered talk of what to do next when they were no longer princes, but kings. For the most part though, they preferred not to think about it until they had to. It would just make their father’s death even more real. Finally, they couldn’t put it off anymore. It was the seventh day. The coronation would begin at midday, followed by their introduction to the people as kings and the lifting of the mourning, and finally the royal ball. Cas, as Dean’s mate, would be able to attend as a guest, but wouldn’t be able to take his place at Dean’s side until their bond was finalized which it would be soon. It would have been in bad taste to do so during the time of mourning though so it would wait a few more days. Other than Cas and the four of them, the only ones present for the coronation would be the court, and the head of the court would preside over the ceremony. 

They took a few minutes to go over what would be expected of them during the process, and then another few minutes for Dean to grumble about ‘another stupid ball’ before they turned to the more important matters. Namely, how they were going to carry out their duties. It was decided that all four of them would be present for the two days a week the court was in session, though Thor would be conducting most of the business with Sam’s assistance until Loki and Dean had a better handle on things. They would also take two days a week to meet with each other on policy and matters of state so they could present a united front. Beyond that, Sam and Loki would have a day, or more accurately a day and a night, that they could travel and do as they wished, as would Dean and Cas, and Thor. That way at least one of them would be in Asgard at all times. 

They did decide that their weekly social outings would not change despite their ascension to kings. They still needed to be able to connect with the people and make themselves visible rather than shutting themselves away in the castle. The would also, of course, continue their father’s monthly open sessions of the court, and tours of the castle. They would remodel the office to combine two of them and they would all share it, each with their own desk of course. The public study would also be remodeled similarly. Rather than move to the end of the hall nearer Odin’s room, they decided to stay where they were. They liked have the three connected suites and thought it more fitting for their positions. 

As midday approached they shuffled nervously into the royal anteroom off the back of the hall. The court had their own entrance towards the front, separate from the main doors as befitting their station. The four princes straightened their formal wear and forced themselves to stand tall as they each placed a hand on the door to unseal the hall before the took deep breaths and stood tall as they walked through the door to stand in a line in front of the dais. They wouldn’t step onto it until they were confirmed. 

As the court took their places, the one at the head remained standing. “I read now from the ascension rites of King Odin the Wise, penned by his own hand.” He paused as he unrolled the scroll. “I, Odin, ruler of Asgard, do bequeath my throne and my duties to be shared among my four sons. High King Thor, the just. King Loki, the joyous. King Hjert, the kind, and King Styrk, the strong. Long may they reign.” He stopped and rolled the scroll back up. “Does anyone have just cause to object to the wishes of our ruler?” He waited the requisite time to ensure that no one would speak before he walked to the front. 

He first stood in front of Thor who kneeled in front of him, the last time he would be expected to kneel in this castle, and Kvasir put a golden crown on his head, decorated with bolts of lightning. “Rise, High King Thor the Just and take your place as our ruler. He next moved to Loki, who kneeled as Kvasir placed a silver crown on his head that seemed to shimmer as if it were not really there. “Rise, King Loki, the joyous and take your place as our ruler. Sam knelt next as a crown of blue mithril was placed on his head and the peaks looked like waves breaking over his head. “Rise King Hjert, the kind, and take your place as our ruler.” Dean was next who found a bronze crown settled upon his head where the peaks looked like flames with their reddish cast. “Rise King Styrk, the strong, and take your place as our ruler.”

Once they were all standing and crowned, they stepped as one onto the dais which immediately accommodated their new positions as there were now four thrones in place that complimented their crowns perfectly. Thor’s was slightly larger, as expected and each of them took their seats as the court all stood from theirs and kneeled before them and chanted as one, “Long may you reign.”

“Rise, loyal counselors, with our thanks. We will reconvene at midday tomorrow,” Thor said and they rose and with a final bow, filed out graciously. He knew that many of them were wondering if they would still have their positions after tomorrow and just how much shaking up the new kings were going to do to the status quo. He would have preferred to do that now, but it would be a horrible breach of tradition, but he could and did set the next meeting for tomorrow so they wouldn’t have to wait and wonder for days. They had no intention of removing any of them from service though. They would offer to allow them to retire if they wish, and may make changes in the future to cater to their own styles and personalities, but for now, the council that had advised their father for so long was more than trusted to do so for them. They would need plenty of guidance after all. 

The kings then stood and followed them out, using the main front doors of the throne room for the pageantry to follow. All of the castle staff were lined in the entrance hall and nearby halls, bowing as they passed while walking towards the balcony where they would be reintroduced to the people as their kings, much like they were introduced as Odin’s sons except this time they would introduce themselves. Thankfully after today, they wouldn’t need to use their full titles and could just be King Thor, King Loki, King Hjert, and King Styrk. They kept their comments brief, knowing that many of the people assembled would be attending the ball and released the mourning period as color flooded back into the kingdom. The fairgrounds as well as all the other businesses would reopen tomorrow. 

They had one hour to relax before they were due to the ball. It was customary for the kings to arrive after everyone else and that would give them time to file in. They opened the ball with a toast to Odin, followed by the feast. After the feast there would be a brief pause to mingle while the kings prepared to open the dancing, which was another thing Dean grumbled about. At least after two years as a prince, during which Odin insisted that they all be able to dance, he wasn’t nearly as bad at it as he used to be. Thor’s main problem was who to dance with. He would have the feast to decide and ate rather distractedly as he weighed his options. Once the feast was finished and they began to mingle with the people, the perfect solution came bounding up to him in a beautiful turquoise gown. “Prince…sorry, King Thor,” she said happily going into a deep curtsy. 

“Gyda! Aren’t you such a beautiful young lady tonight,” he said with a warm smile as he made his decision. Any woman he asked to dance for his first dance as king would be immediately begin plotting to become his queen, but this was an easy way out of such expectations and Gyda would always have a special place in his heart. “May I have this dance, my lady?” he asked with a bow as he held out his hand. Gyda giggled happily and the ten year old girl took the dance floor with the king as they were joined by Sam and Loki, and Dean and Cas, and the six of them waltzed away the first dance of the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this installment of the Asgard series with the installation of the four new kings. There will be another eventually, though it will probably be a while before I get to it. 
> 
> Also, in case it needs to be said, if any of you are getting any ideas about Thor and Gyda...no. He chose to dance with a child rather than an adult as a political move so that no one could criticize him for not dancing at all and no one would attempt to read too much into such a high profile dance he had with a woman. That is all. Though I have not ruled out Gyda's mother as a possibility in part three.


End file.
